DragonShadows Season 3
by DragonShadow
Summary: DragonShadow's third Powerpuff Girls season
1. 301- Responsibility

301- Responsibility  
  
  
Ah the tender age of 13, the age every parent on the planet dreads like the grim reaper himself. The age when innocence is put on the backburner to make way for physical and emotional changes the likes of which parents wished to never see. The Keane household is no different either, for even though the outer shells of the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys will never change, their insides are working like clockwork. They too are feeling the initial pangs of adulthood, and they too are beginning to look at those of the opposite gender more carefully than ever.  
  
Peach Keane had long given up on trying to contain their interest. She remembered her own barely adolescent years and the mischief she'd caused. Trying to keep these five superheroes under a cover would be like covering an elephant with a picnic cloth. She would just try to follow them around and pick up any dropped pieces they left behind. It was all she really could do, especially since Buttercup and Brick already had each other. God only knew what they'd already tried and would try.  
  
Buttercup not only had expunged herself of Mange four years ago, but also of her astral-projection powers. She was now just a normal Powerpuff Girl in every way. Bubbles was more and more getting her artwork shown around town and she'd won numerous competitions, though not all of them she entered. She was also acting a little bit more responsible and she didn't play with her dolls anymore. Blossoms' life still consisted of three things, school, crime fighting, and sleeping. She never stopped to do much of anything for herself and often wound up blowing up at the rest of the kids about not paying enough attention to their own work.  
  
Brick was still as determined as he ever was, mostly doing whatever needed to be done though he was quickly learning the value of a dollar. Of the five he was the only one who actually charged the Mayor for his services on an hourly basis. Boomer still was as easygoing as ever, preferring to stay out of most conflicts and only really coming out when someone else really needed him. Except of course for Blossom, he doted on her like she was his queen even after these past four years. Even though Butch was arguably the most normal kid in the household, he was also the most depressive and often didn't say anything for a week straight. He'd left his girlfriend of six years for reasons he never disclosed to anybody and withdrawn into his own little cocoon. Peach suspected he might need serious therapy or maybe even to move out of the house since it was clear his troubles stemmed from his siblings...  
  
It was hard work raising a family of superheroes, harder than Miss Keane had ever suspected when she'd volunteered for the job. Still they got by no matter what difficulties reared their ugly head. She just hoped things would stay as relatively calm as they had been lately.  
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Bubbles stuck her tiny tongue out in concentration while her friend Elibell sat under the shade of a tall tree, striking a post. She was the same age as Bubbles was though she obviously showed it more. Her skin was as close to black as one could come without having black pain thrown on them. Her bright blue eyes stood out in stark contrast with the rest of her, but her hair was a rich, full dark color and it flowed halfway down her back in a curly wave.  
  
"There, finished!" Bubbles exclaimed happily as she carefully tore the page out of the notebook she kept with her at all times these days. She never knew what sights might make her want to draw, so she was always prepared.  
  
"Let me see!" Elibell said eagerly as she got up from the lush grass underneath the tree. She brushed herself off as she walked up to take the sketch from the much smaller puff. "Wow... Its amazing Bubbles. It's like looking at a photograph." She said with a happy smile. Bubbles grinned back happily and blushed slightly.  
  
"Thank you, and look I even drew you a little angel, you see it?" Bubbles floated up beside her friend to point out the small figure that was perched on Elibell's shoulder. Eli had actually mistaken it for a star or something, but she now saw that it had little wings that stretched faintly from the main point.  
  
"It's great Bubbles, I love it." The older looking girl said with an appreciative grin. "Can I keep it please?"  
  
"Of course! You're my bestest best friend ever!" Bubbles exclaimed as she hugged her tightly. In a moment though a vibration against the rim of her tights startled her back. She let out a sigh as she reached under her dress to check on it. After awhile it'd become obvious the girls wouldn't always be at home or school to hear the hotline, so instead they each had a beeper they carried at all times.  
  
"Oh you've got to go again?" Eli whined sadly as she always did when Bubbles received a call. They'd been fast friends ever since the dark skinned girl had moved to Townsville. When they'd first met Bubbles, ever the socially conscious, had remarked that she looked like a fudge cookie with her skin color. Luckily that had served more to break the ice with a good laugh than to actually make her angry.  
  
"Yeah, sorry, I'll see you later!" Bubbles yelled to her with a happy wave before she streaked off into the sky in a blue spark of light. Elibell just waved after her for a while until she finally lowered her hand and looked down at the picture.  
  
She gave a soft nod as she gripped the picture more firmly in one hand and turned to walk off toward home as she always did when Bubbles had to jet quickly. It didn't really upset her too much though, she could wait for another free moment.  
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A horned figure bared its chest mightily as it took a deep breath, putting its hands to its stomach to get even more air into its lungs. In a moment it threw its arms out and let out what was likely the loudest burp in the history of Townsville. Buttercup smiled with satisfaction as she watched a flock of birds retreat from their perch nearby.  
  
"Ugh, do you mind, some of us are still eating!" Blossom shouted from her position at the small table they'd set up in what they'd deemed to be the den. In actuality the Whoopass Girls had set up quite a nice little home in the Townsville clock tower where nobody ever went before. It was a little dirty and dusty, but they fixed it up all nice to where it was almost luxurious.  
  
"Yeah really that's nasty Buttercup." Bubbles complained, waving one hand in front of her face as she speared a lettuce leaf on her fork and stuffed it into her mouth. She was a vegetarian though it wasn't to save the animals; she just refused to jeopardize her sexy figure. Blossoms' theory on the other hand was scarf down as much meat as possible and kill all the animals they could.  
  
"Ah you guys are just jealous." Buttercup replied smugly as she watched a blue light streak right past the tower towards the center of Townsville. That would likely be one of the Powerpuff Girls... The cursed little witches were the reason they weren't even now living on their own islands getting tans. Oh all three Whoopass Girls would have just loved to get revenge on them, but they were now outnumbered five to three... worse odds than ever. They couldn't go back to Hims' lair or they'd be punished for their failure, so hiding out was their only option.  
  
"Jealous of what, your body odor? Keep it, please." Blossom remarked as she rolled her eyes.  
  
"And keep it to YOURSELF." Bubbles added insistently.  
  
"Ah don't get your panties in a bunch." Buttercup said acidly as she walked over to sit at the table with her sisters again. "So what are you going to do now that's actually EVIL instead of just sitting around?"  
  
"Why do I always have to think of all of our evil stuff, why don't YOU try it?" Blossom demanded.  
  
"Because you're the leader genius." Buttercup snapped back.  
  
"Fine fine, we'll just keep our eyes out and see what we can come up with. And it'll be even better if it helps get back at those damn Powerpuff Girls too." Blossom said before she speared one of the steaks on her plate and jammed it in her mouth. The other girls just silently agreed as they turned back to their own food.  
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"And another one bites the dust." Blossom wiped her hands clean as The Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys floated above the newly defeated monster.  
  
"Finally, I thought he'd never go down." Bubbles said with a soft sigh. "We really need to find a way to make less work for all of us."  
  
"Yeah I know what you mean." Buttercup commented. "We don't need all five of us to come running every time there's a monster attack, especially since just the three of us used to take down monsters all the time."  
  
"That's actually not a bad idea Buttercup..." Blossom said thoughtfully. "Maybe I can talk to Professor Tuyoma and the Mayor to get it all worked out."  
  
"That'd be wonderful, less running around for each of us is definitely a good thing." Boomer commented as he stretched his back out and yawned.  
  
"Well okay then, I'll ask the Mayor and Professor about it right now. See you guys!" Blossom said before she streaked away from them in a pink trail of light. With the leader girl gone the others generally just went about their own more private lives they were slowly getting these days. So they did that now, each of them streaking off to do their own thing, though that thing was the same right now. Recess was about over, it was school time.  
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Bubbles hummed happily to herself as she floated up to her locker on the top row and opened it to grab her Math books. She didn't really like school anymore since it cut into her drawing and playing time, but she lived with it well enough. She looked over as Elibell walked up to her again with a small smile on her face.  
  
"Hey Eli!" Bubbles said with a grin as she noticed her friend walking up. "Sorry about earlier, what have you been doing?"  
  
"Oh I just grabbed a snack and came back." The black girl replied with a dismissing wave of her hand. "It's alright, you gotta go you gotta go I guess." She said.  
  
"Yeah, well maybe I can draw another picture after class?" The Powerpuff Girl suggested.  
  
"Yeah that sounds wonderful, see you then." Elibell said as Bubbles floated off to find her next class. The bigger girl watched her for a minute before turning and walking away herself. She was going to do it today after class, she was finally going to tell Bubbles how she felt...  
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Three heads poked out of a locker and watched her walk off, then looked at each other curiously. "Did anyone else notice anything there?" Blossom asked her two Whoopass sisters curiously.  
  
"Yeah, almost seems like Eli is interested in more than just Bubbles' cute attitude." Buttercup said with a wry smirk.  
  
"You mean... Oh icky icky poo poo!" Bubbles said disgustedly. "I hate things like that, it's so unnatural and... well... sick!" She stuck out her tongue to further show her disapproval.  
  
"Well don't worry about it Bubbles, I think I just thought of a way to make at least one of the Powerpuff Girls' lives very miserable." Blossom assured her sister with an evil grin.  
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When the class bell finally rang Bubbles floated out of the school building in search of her friend. She finally found her sitting on one of the playground benches waiting patiently for her to show up. "Hey Eli, so what do you want to do now?" She asked happily as she settled herself on the bench beside her dark-skinned friend.  
  
"Bubbles... I have something I want to tell you." Elibell said softly as she wrung her hands together nervously. "you know that I... I like you." She stuttered slightly.  
  
"Of course, I like you too, you're my bestest best friend ever!" Bubbles told her with a happy grin.  
  
"Yeah thanks..." Eli sighed nervously and tried again. "But what I mean is... Well I 'really' like you Bubbles." She said this quickly and closed her eyes, trying to prepare for the onslaught of anti-relationship slogans she'd gotten all her life from other girls she'd liked. When none came though she cautiously opened her eyes. The puff didn't seem to be angry... or happy... or anything. She just stood there with a confused look on her face.  
  
"Um... What do you mean?" Bubbles finally asked after staring at her for a few moments.  
  
"I mean Bubbles that I... you know... I 'like' you." She said again and reached down to take the puffs hands gently in hers. Bubbles looked down at her hands a bit surprised, then back up at her face again. For a long while she didn't say anything, just staring up at her with her mouth opening and closing in shocked surprise. Then without warning she streaked out of the playground in a blue flash of light. "Bubbles!" The bigger girl yelled in surprise.  
  
She just watched in surprise as the blue spot of light finally streaked out of sight completely. She couldn't quite fit into her brain what had just happened here. Had she been rejected or accepted? Did she have an answer at all? Did she just make her best friend hate her guts with this little question?  
  
She sighed sadly as she turned to walk slowly away from the bench. Whatever she'd done she would give Bubbles time, and in a little while maybe she'd get her answer. She just hoped even if Bubbles didn't want to... swing that way that she wouldn't end their friendship over this. It'd taken her more than a year to tell the Powerpuff Girl her feelings, she wished she didn't make a mistake...  
  
Unbeknownst to her three grinning faces were watching from the top of a nearby tree. Opportunity was definitely knocking quite loudly, and who were the Whoopass Girls to let it slip by?  
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"She what?" Blossom asked curiously as she finally looked up from her computer screen to stare at Bubbles. Buttercup too was staring at their sister in surprise.  
  
"She said she... 'liked' me... I think she meant in that special way..." Bubbles replied. Her voice was shaking furiously as she spoke. She wasn't scared so much because Elibell was a girl though, but just because she'd never considered a relationship with ANYBODY before. The prospect kind of scared her.  
  
"Whoa, she's a lesbian?" Buttercup asked surprised. "Man I never would have guessed."  
  
"A... what?" Bubbles asked curiously. She stared at Buttercup confusedly, but Blossom floated over to sit beside her on the bed.  
  
"A lesbian is a girl who likes other girls... like Buttercup likes Brick." Blossom explained seriously.  
  
"Yeah, and they stalk out at night and drink the blood of normal little girls." Buttercup told her pigtailed sister with a grin. Bubbles huddled in on herself a bit fearfully.  
  
"NO they don't." Blossom said, glaring at Buttercup. "Those are just some dumb fairy tales people tell to make them sound evil."  
  
"Don't believe me then, but I also heard that if a lesbian kisses you... then you BECOME a lesbian!" Buttercup let out a sinister laugh and Bubbles streaked over to hide under the sheets, muttering fearfully to herself.  
  
"Buttercup STOP it!" Blossom demanded angrily. "This is serious, Bubbles came to us for advice about her friend not for you to scare the daylights out of her!" She turned back to the lump in the bed-sheet and pulled it out of the way before speaking more gently. "Bubbles, ignore her, she's just trying to torture you AGAIN." She shot their brunette sister a dark look.  
  
"But... I don't want to be a lesbian..." Bubbles whined pathetically and pulled the blanket up to her neck again.  
  
"Nobody can MAKE you a lesbian so just relax." Blossom informed her gently. "Now look, if another girl likes you that way... Well just tell her how you feel too." She said sensibly. "Do you like her that way too?"  
  
"Yuck..." Buttercup muttered under her breath.  
  
"Shut up Buttercup! You're not helping anything!" Blossom yelled at her angrily before turning back to Bubbles. "Just tell Elibell what you feel... no matter what it is. I'm sure she'll understand if you don't want to actually be her girlfriend or anything."  
  
"R... Really?" Bubbles finally looked up at her sister as she spoke. "You don't think she'll get mad at me or anything?"  
  
"Of COURSE not, she's your friend after all." Blossom said with a kind smile. In a moment she kissed her sisters' cheek gently and smiled at her again. "Now why don't we get some rest, and you can sort it all out with her tomorrow. Don't worry about crime fighting either, I've worked it out with everyone so that you two and the Rowdyruff Boys switch off days."  
  
"That's good..." Bubbles yawned slightly and stretched her back out. "Yeah it is getting late... I'll talk to her tomorrow after she gets some sleep... I hope I didn't hurt her feelings running off like I did..." She said worriedly.  
  
"I'm sure she'll understand." Blossom assured her as she shot Buttercup a quick warning glance so she wouldn't cut in with her usual encouragement. "Now just try to relax and get some sleep so you can think more clearly in the morning." She said as she guided Bubbles to the bathroom to help her get dressed since she wasn't very coordinated in her present state of mind. She was still worried about her friend.  
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Elibells' mind spun with all sorts of different thoughts and emotions as she paced back and forth in her bedroom with her nightgown already on. She wanted to call over there and talk to her, but she wasn't sure Bubbles would want to talk anymore. She wasn't sure the Powerpuff Girl would ever want to talk to her again, and that scared her more than anything.  
  
She jumped in surprise when there was a soft tap at her window. She whirled around to see a tiny blue figure floating just outside her window, staring at her intently. It was Bubbles, maybe she'd come to talk a bit more.  
  
She ran to the window and opened it quickly to allow the Powerpuff Girl to float inside. "Bubbles, I'm so glad you came. I was so worried I'd scared you off." Eli breathed a sigh of relief as she spoke and turned toward the smaller girl... but her relief was quickly replaced with confusion when she saw the other girl glaring at her darkly.  
  
Bubbles floated slowly toward her as she spoke. "I've thought a lot about what you told me." She said darkly. Her voice sounded a little bit different than it normally did for some reason even without the dark inflection.  
  
"Wh... What did you decide?" Eli gulped and instinctively backed away from the much smaller girl. Something in her eyes looked wrong to her, it was like it wasn't Bubbles at all but someone else.  
  
"I think you should keep your goddamn lesbo ass away from me!" Bubbles howled angrily, floating up to stare into the taller girls astonished eyes. "I don't need any stupid girl coming onto me, got that!?" She demanded as she grabbed the front of Eli's nightgown and hauled her close threateningly.  
  
"B... O..." Elibell could only stutter in a mixture of shock and fear and sadness. She had expected her to maybe be a bit upset, but this was far more than she'd ever thought would come from innocent little Bubbles. "But Bubbles... I..." She started to speak, though she was cut off shortly.  
  
"SHUT UP! I don't want to so much as feel you touch my SHOULDER! I hate you and your stupid lesbianism!" Bubbles screamed furiously as she hurled Eli over the bed to send her slamming into the floor hard. Eli rolled dazedly to her feet and slowly backed away as the Powerpuff Girl advanced on her again.  
  
"Bubbles..." Elibell had tears in her eyes as she finally backed into the wall, trapped with nowhere else to run. "Bubbles I'm sorry I didn't know it'd upset you so much... I'm sorry..." She whispered sadly.  
  
"Just never talk to me AGAIN." On the last word Bubbles slammed one fist into her friends' stomach as hard as she could, making her crumple up like an accordion to the floor. She clutched her stomach tightly with tears streaming freely from her eyes now. "GOT THAT?" The Powerpuff Girl demanded furiously. Eli just nodded, clenching her teeth against the pain in her stomach.  
  
"Good! Now get out of my way f*cking lesbo freak!" Bubbles swiftly kicked Elibell out of the way before she floated over to the window to push it open again. Without another word she floated calmly out into the night air, leaving a very shaken and frightened Eli behind her huddled on the floor.  
  
Bubbles stretched her back out and sighed contentedly as her two sisters floated out to join her. "That felt pretty good actually..." She said with an evil grin on her face.  
  
"We'll just see if she ever wants to talk to poor little Bubbles now." Blossom said with a grin that was even more evil than her sisters'. "Come on girls, our work here is done." None of them bothered to look back as they turned to float away from the building to wait for the fireworks to begin in the morning.  
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Bubbles spent all morning the next day searching the entire school ground for any sign of Elibell, but nobody had seen her anywhere. She'd never shown up to school this morning for some reason. There weren't even any sick calls or anything. This helped worry her a lot, she could only think that she'd caused her friend to be so sad or sick or something that she didn't even want to come out of her house.  
  
She had a few worried tears in her eyes as she floated up to her sisters in the cafeteria during lunch. "I'm getting really worried you guys it's not like her to just not come to school without any word." She said softly.  
  
"Calm down Bubbles, I'm sure it's nothing you did." Blossom said quickly to try and calm her down. "If it'll make you feel better we can fly over to her house during recess and check on her. So you can SEE that it's just a cold or something."  
  
"Either that or she's plotting her revenge for rejecting her." Buttercup commented under her breath. Blossom shot her a dark warning look, but luckily Bubbles didn't seem to hear her.  
  
"Sure, that sounds good." Bubbles replied to Blossom idea of checking on her. "I really hope I didn't hurt her, I never wanted to." She said softly as she sat down with her lunch beside her sisters.  
  
"Of course not." Blossom told her with a reassuring smile. "We'll go over there and you two can talk it all out. It'll be alright, don't worry so much about it." She said quickly. She didn't like to see her sister so upset, so she would do anything she could to make sure nothing went horribly wrong.  
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After they ate lunch rather quickly they all flew off toward Elibells' house only a few blocks away from their school. Bubbles had said she'd go alone, but neither of her sisters would hear of it. So they just tagged along beside her more for moral support than anything else. Still their presence was much appreciated by the blond Powerpuff Girl.  
  
No sooner had they landed in front of the door than Blossom jumped in surprise as they usually did then one of their beepers went off. Bubbles and Buttercup just looked down at their own beepers while Blossom checked hers.  
  
"Shoot, I have to get going to guys." Blossom said as she shot Bubbles an apologetic smile.  
  
"How come you got beeped and we didn't?" Buttercup asked confusedly.  
  
"I told you, today's your day off. Then tomorrow you're on duty and the Rowdyruff Boys have the day off." Blossom explained patiently.  
  
"So when's YOUR day off Blossom?" Bubbles asked worriedly. She liked the idea of having more time to herself, but she wanted everyone to have time, not just herself. Her red-haired sister just shrugged off the question though.  
  
"Don't worry about it, I'll catch up with you girls later." Blossom said before she took off too quickly for either of her sisters to complain. Bubbles and Buttercup just looked at each other a moment before the blond puff turned to walk up to the front door of the house they were standing right in front of.  
  
She knocked on the door timidly, looking behind her to make sure Buttercup was still waiting with her. In a few moments the door opened and a tall black woman looked down at them kindly. Her expression turned to one of anger though when she saw Bubbles staring up at her innocently.  
  
"Uh hi... I was wondering if Eli was okay..." Bubbles said as she took a step forward into the house.  
  
"Not for you." The woman slammed the door shut in her face quickly, sending the small puff flying back into her sister after being hit by it. It didn't hurt TOO much, but it did confuse the heck out of her.  
  
"Hey! What the hell was THAT for?" Buttercup demanded as she floated up to the door to slam one fist against it angrily. "Open this door, the girl only wants to talk to her friend, is that so much to ask?" She demanded. When there was no response she pulled back one fist before Bubbles could complain and sent the door flying off of its hinges. "I'm talking to you!"  
  
"I hope you're paying for that." Elibells' mother said angrily as she glared at the two Powerpuff Girls, but her eyes narrowed even more when she looked in Bubbles' direction. "You're not welcome in this house anymore."  
  
"Please Mrs. Porcelain, I didn't mean to hurt Eli I promise, I just didn't know what to say, I needed to think." Bubbles pleaded with the woman desperately clutching her arm.  
  
"My daughter tells me you said plenty last night." The woman replied as she glared down at Bubbles with eyes narrowed like a hawk.  
  
"Last night?" Buttercup said confusedly. "She was at home with us all night, she didn't say anything to your daughter last night." She said, upset that someone would lie about her sister.  
  
"Well then who came to scream at my daughter and call her nasty names?" Mrs. Porcelain demanded angrily, glaring at Bubbles. Before either girl could respond their beepers went off simultaneously.  
  
"I swear it wasn't me, I'd never say anything to hurt her, she's my best friend." Bubbles said seriously, staring into the much taller womans eyes. In a moment though she and Buttercup both felt their beepers going off, vibrating against their hips.  
  
"Geeze, must be something really big." Buttercup commented as she reached down to check her beeper. "We should get going Bubbles, they need us." She looked to her sister to come with her to help fight whatever was giving their sister trouble, but the blond haired puff didn't move an inch. "Bubbles we have to go." She said firmly.  
  
"Please... Just let me see her." Bubbles begged, already on her knees and pleading mercilessly. "I won't yell I won't call her names I won't even talk if she tells me not to... Just please... Let me in there." She said softly, staring up at her friends' mother with wide, tearful eyes.  
  
"Ergh... fine, I'll go see what I can do myself." Buttercup said before she turned to streak out of the house to find her sister and the Rowdyruff Boys. Bubbles just stared up at the adult that was barring her path to her friend desperately.  
  
"Alright... but I will be right outside the door. One wrong word and I will contact the police to come and deal with you." The older woman said seriously. Normally she wouldn't take such drastic measures with a child, but she could hardly kick a Powerpuff Girl out of her house by herself.  
  
"Alright..." Bubbles agreed softly as she followed Mrs. Porcelain up the stairs to Eli's bedroom at the end of the hall. The Powerpuff Girl slowly pushed the door open and poked her head inside. She could see Elibell sitting on the bed facing away from the door. She looked like she was holding her stomach gently and her shoulders were shaking like she was crying.  
  
"E... Eli?" She asked with a voice that shook with worry as she stepped into the room lightly. The other girl jumped a bit at the sound of her voice and moved away slightly n the bed, though she grimaced painfully as she moved. Her arms never left her stomach. "What happened?"  
  
"You should know..." Elibell replied in a surprisingly dark tone of voice. No matter how upset and angry she sounded though her voice was still tinged with pain and an inner sadness.  
  
"I don't know... did something happen to you last night?" Bubbles asked, looking down at her stomach worriedly. Eli just hugged her arms around herself a bit tighter and looked away from her.  
  
"What did you get hit too hard by a monster?" She asked acidly.  
  
"Here... Let me look at that..." Bubbles said as she reached down to gently pull Eli's hands away from her stomach. The bigger girl winced slightly but didn't try to resist her. Whether she actually trusted Bubbles or she didn't want to anger her was up for debate though. Carefully the Powerpuff Girl grabbed the edge of her friends shirt and lifted it up slightly to reveal her stomach.  
  
There was a large bruise forming right in the center of her stomach, and it almost looked like parts of it were kind of caved in. It didn't look like she'd simply fallen or tripped on something. "Eli what happened? You should go to the doctor." Bubbles said worriedly as she put one hand up against her friends' stomach. Elibell hissed slightly in pain at just the gentle touch.  
  
"I'll be fine..." Eli croaked out through clenched teeth as she batted Bubbles away from her roughly. "Why are you back here again? Make fun of me some more?" Her voice sounded harsh, but she was practically in tears as she glared down at Bubbles intently.  
  
"I never made fun of you... I'm sorry if it seemed like I was when I left the other afternoon but I... Just needed time to think." Bubbles said softly to try to explain herself.  
  
"I was talking about last night." Elibell replied intently.  
  
"Last night... but I stayed home all night." Bubbles said confusedly. "Your mom said something about last night too, what happened?"  
  
"Don't you remember? You came and... And you yelled at me... Called me a... Stupid lesbo..." Eli replied, tearing up again a bit at the memory.  
  
"What!?" Bubbles shouted, completely shocked. "No I didn't! I'd never do that to you Eli! Really I never came over here!" She insisted.  
  
"Then where did this come from?" the black girl asked, gesturing to her hideously discolored and bruised stomach. "I didn't just fall down the stairs." She said softly.  
  
"I... I mean she... did that?" Bubbles asked worriedly. She had an idea of who this could have been by now, there really was no other explanation. "You should get to the hospital then... Huh?" She looked down in surprise as her beeper started vibrating against her waist again. What timing for an emergency call.  
  
"It really wasn't you... was it Bubbles?" Elibell said staring down at her seriously. She still looked doubtful, but she was no longer glaring so suspiciously. This was a change Bubbles definitely liked, it meant she could take Eli to the hospital herself more quickly than her mom driving her... but her sisters needed her. What was she supposed to do?  
  
"Of COURSE not." Bubbles said seriously as the beeper buzzed again. It almost seemed to be getting more urgent to her. If the other Bubbles had really hit Elibell though she could be seriously hurt, she needed a hospital right now. Her sisters were calling her though, she couldn't just ignore them.  
  
"Go ahead, I'll be fine." Eli said as she noticed Bubbles staring down at her beeper worriedly. "Really it's not as... bad as it looks..." She gasped painfully as she stood up, though she seemed unable to straighten her back out.  
  
Bubbles looked up at her worriedly, trying to think of a way to help everybody she possibly could. Finally she made up her mind and floated up to her friend, putting her arms around her and floating up off the ground. "Hey what're you doing?" Eli complained, squirming a bit as the blond girl held onto a sore spot on her stomach.  
  
"You need a doctor... come on." Without another word Bubbles streaked out of the house. Her sisters would be able to handle any monsters or robbers that showed up, especially with the Rowdyruff Boys behind them. At least she hoped they would be able to, no matter what she couldn't leave her friend to possibly die because she'd though Bubbles herself had hurt her...  
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Blossom grunted as she slammed through the solid cement wall and fell to the floor heavily. She quickly pushed herself to her feet again to survey the condition of the battle. The puff and ruffs were locked in combat with another of Mojo Jojo's giant robots, but she could only guess Mojo had found a new way to shield himself because nothing they did seemed to penetrate its armor. She'd been hoping Bubbles' sonic powers could short out the electronics and halt the robot instantly, but she wasn't showing up.  
  
She floated up out of the building to again join the fray though she wasn't sure what good they could do as it was. So far they'd made only a few dents, and it didn't help that the robot was strong too. It'd taken down several buildings already just by using the mini-heroes as projectiles.  
  
"Buttercup, Boomer, circle around it, try to find a weak spot in the back, search the joints specifically! Brick, we're playing decoy! GO!" Instantly each of the puffs and ruffs took off in different directions, Buttercup and Boomer flying around the robot while Blossom and Brick stayed around front, taunting Mojo as best they could.  
  
Boomer and buttercup tried hacking at the hinges where they could, but they'd been re-enforced more than anything they'd ever seen before. They couldn't penetrate the armor anywhere at all. Worse yet Mojo's aim seemed to be getting better, and several times Blossom and Brick got blown off course just from the wind of the robots passing swings. The Rowdyruff Boy occasionally had to teleport out of the way...  
  
"Brick!" Blossom yelled out when she suddenly realized a plan of attack she'd been foolish to overlook. "Teleport INSIDE Mojo's armor!" She yelled quickly. Brick looked over at her to give a slight nod before he started glowing red again, vanishing a moment later. The others could only watch as the robot suddenly went still before the entire thing began to shudder and rock from the inside.  
  
In a moment the entire thing toppled to the ground, leaving a huge crater in the street where it impacted. In a few moments Brick appeared beside the others who had gathered right above the head of the machine. He was holding mojo clutched between his hands roughly.  
  
"Problem solved." He grinned proudly, hefting his bundle for the others to see. Boomer and Buttercup clapped politely, but Blossom wasn't in any mood to celebrate.  
  
"Where's Bubbles?" She whirled toward the City Hall to scream up to Miss Bellum. "Didn't you beep her to come help us out!?" She yelled.  
  
In a moment Miss Bellum yelled back. "Several times, she just never responded."  
  
The leader of the Powerpuff girls growled deep in her throat as she started to float off, but Buttercup quickly grabbed her hand before she could get too far.  
  
"Remember, Bubbles has been having a rough time today, cut her some slack." Buttercup said softly.  
  
"She's a Powerpuff Girl and we ALL have responsibilities no matter how we feel personally." Blossom shot back before jerking her arm out of her sisters' grasp and continuing on her way. The others just watched her go with blank expressions as she headed for Elibell's house. When she got there she found nothing but a note saying they were all at the hospital, so she flew down that way quickly.  
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Bubbles paced around the lobby worriedly while the doctors looked over Elibells' wound somewhere in the back. She hoped it wasn't anything too bad, she would kill herself if she'd been the reason this happened to her friend. The next time she saw her slutty counterpart she swore she would... she would...  
  
She couldn't even think of anything suitable to do to her. She'd hurt her friend, quite possibly it was serious and Bubbles just couldn't forgive her for that. She was so worried right now... there was no telling what just one blow from a Powerpuff Girl... or a Whoopass Girl... could have done to her.  
  
Her train of thought was interrupted though and Blossom stormed angrily through the main entrance and stomped right up to her. "Where the hell were you Bubbles? We needed your help and you never showed up. We could have beaten Mojo A LOT sooner if you'd shown up." She said angrily.  
  
"I'm sorry Blossom, but I think Elibell might be seriously hurt..." Bubbles bowed her head slightly in apology. "I wanted to help her..."  
  
"You think she might be seriously hurt? Bubbles, you put the entire city in jeopardy." Blossom said firmly. "You're a Powerpuff Girl and like me and Buttercup your first responsibility is to protect all of Townsville. If Eli was hurt her mom could have brought her here, we could have really used your help out there today but you didn't come." She said.  
  
"I'm sorry Blossom... I just wanted to help her..." Bubbles said softly. "I mean it's my fault she was hurt... The other Bubbles tricked her and hurt her..." She sniffled slightly and rubbed at her eyes as tears came to them.  
  
"Well it's alright this time..." Blossom finally lightened up a bit and put one hand on her sisters' shoulder. "We beat Mojo and everything's alright... but in the future you need to respond to your calls no matter what. We need all of us out there sometimes." She finished her little speech.  
  
"Okay..." Bubbles whispered just before the inner door of the hospital opened and a doctor came out with a chart in his hands. "Is Eli going to be alright?" She streaked up to the doctor instantly to ask.  
  
"She should be just fine. It would seem she received a blow hard enough to crack several ribs and severely bruise several vital organs... but I think we've managed to repair most of the damage and with a few days rest she should be fine." The doctor replied.  
  
"Whew... that's a big relief..." Bubbles sighed while Blossom gave her a reassuring pat. "Can I go in and talk to her?"  
  
"I don't see why not, just don't let her move around too much." The doctor told her as he pointed to Elibells' door.  
  
"Thank you... I'll be right back Blossom." The leader of the puffs nodded and smiled slightly before Bubbles turned to head into the indicated room. She found it to be pretty much a regular hospital recovery room with Elibell lying in the bed staring up at the ceiling weakly. "How are you feeling?" Bubbles asked as she floated up to the side of the bed.  
  
"My stomach feels like I ate a bowling ball... and I'm too weak to lift my hands... but I feel fine." Eli replied with a small half-smile on her face. Bubbles smiled back down at her and took one hand gently between hers.  
  
"Eli look... about what we talked about yesterday... I don't think I want to... you know... have a relationship with you..." Bubbles studied her friends' eyes very closely for any sign that she'd only made things worse. Instead though the black girl almost seemed to be somewhat relieved.  
  
"It's alright, I understand... just please stay my friend... please?" Elibell squeezed Bubbles hand slightly in one of hers.  
  
"Of course, you're my bestest best friend!" Bubbles replied enthusiastically with a girlish grin on her face. "Forever and ever." She floated down a bit so they could share a quick warm hug without Eli sitting up. In a few moments Bubbles floated back a bit and squeezed her friends' hand warmly. "Get better soon, I still haven't done a sketch of you on the school steps yet."  
  
"I'll try to make our appointment." Eli replied with a soft smile. They just smiled at each other for a few moments before they made their farewells and Bubbles turned to depart. She stopped though when her friend spoke again from behind her. "Oh Bubbles... When you catch up with the other Bubbles out there... Please give her one for me."  
  
Bubbles smiled back and nodded quickly. "I'll give her all of them for you." She grinned and waved happily before turning and finally floating out of the room. This had certainly been an eventful day for her and it wasn't even past one o'clock yet. Well she supposed the action was all over for now... but once she did find her counterpart she would give her the biggest beating she'd ever given to anything. She didn't like anything to hurt her friends, and as a Powerpuff Girl she wanted to protect them with all of her powers.  
  
THE END 


	2. Side Story- The Nature Of Man

(AUTHORS NOTE: I've noticed some anti-gay sentiment running through this section in a few people, not as extreme as that portrayed here but there nonetheless. So here is a story to make you think twice about knocking it for being "unnatural")  
  
The Nature of Man (Season 3 Side-Story)  
  
  
"What do you want to do after school?" Elibell asked her best friend as her and Bubbles walked down the hall at a leisurely pace. The Powerpuff Girl could have floated of course, but she preferred to walk these days when she wasn't in a hurry. It helped her to blend into crowds and just be a normal girl more than floating would allow.  
  
"Let's go out back and swing on the swing set." Bubbles suggested with a small smile. The different schools in Townsville were placed pretty close together, so all shared pretty much the same playground and everything.  
  
Eli chuckled slightly at the smaller girls' enthusiasm for even this smallest thing. "Sure, sounds good." She agreed with a happy smile as they headed for the entrance of the school with Bubbles walking right beside her. When they got outside and headed toward the playground there were already several kids gathered around the swings talking among themselves calmly.  
  
Several turned to give them baleful looks as they approached though, and a few started snickering lightly to themselves until one finally spoke. "These swings are taken." He said, glaring straight at Elibell.  
  
"But there's two right there open." Bubbles pointed out as she gestured to the two free swings. Two other kids from the group walked over to sit in them so they weren't free anymore.  
  
"Might as well go somewhere else." The same kid said with a smirk.  
  
"Why are you being so mean?" Bubbles demanded incredulously. Elibell looked ready to just give up and walk away, but the Powerpuff Girl wouldn't let these bullies just diss them like that.  
  
"We're just particular about who we hand out with, no idiots, nerds, geeks, or fags." He said, glaring straight at Elibell as he said that last word. Bubbles didn't really know what the word meant, but it was obviously an insult from the way he said it. Blossom took notice as well since she'd been playing with Buttercup not fifteen feet away.  
  
"Come on Bubbles, let's go make a drawing or something." Eli said sourly as she tugged on her friends' arm.  
  
"Yeah go ahead and go diddle each other." One of the girls in the group said with a shudder. In a moment they all burst out laughing except Bubbles and Elibell. "God what kind of a screwed up girls likes other girls like that? It's totally unnatural." She finished, rolling her eyes.  
  
Before Bubbles or Elibell could say anything Blossom floated in front of them, putting up one hand. "So... you think being gay is unnatural so you don't like gays huh?" She asked, staring at them calmly.  
  
"Well duh, of course it is." The same girl replied while the others just chuckled. People are supposed to live, reproduce, and die, that's nature. It's unnatural to want people of the same gender.  
  
"Hm... What about people who've sworn themselves to celibacy, is that unnatural and a reason to hate them too?" Blossom asked reasonably.  
  
"Well that's different." The girls shot back.  
  
"How? They won't reproduce either. They're going against the human nature of having sex, isn't that wrong too?"  
  
"No!" The girl said firmly.  
  
"Hm..." Blossom hummed to herself curiously and floated over to the first boy who'd spoken again. "You're a vegetarian right?"  
  
"Uh... yeah, what the hell does that have to do with anything?" He asked in confusion.  
  
"Well in that case you get out of here too. It's an instinct to eat meat because it provides essential nutrients the body needs, it's quite against the nature of humans to want to be strong that you don't eat meat." Blossom pointed out as she floated over to another boy. "Same with you and hiding your veggies under your place-mat. Vegetables provide important nutrition for growing boys and girls."  
  
Blossom then floated over in front of Elibell and Bubbles, facing the group of kids. "We all make choices that go against our primal instincts and even the nature of us as living beings. Staying celibate and being a vegetarian are just examples of the decisions we make in our search for happiness that go against what's strictly instinctual for us. Why are gay people pointed out as being unnatural when so many of YOU make similarly unnatural decisions?" She demanded.  
  
Everyone else just stared at her completely dumbfounded for a few minutes, their eyes going wide with surprise. Without another word Blossom turned around and floated back to her game with Buttercup, who was also just staring at her in amazement.  
  
"Um..." Elibell and Bubbles muttered in unison as they just watched the red-haired puff resume her game with her other sister. They turned back to the group to find them all staring after Blossom just as blankly.  
  
Finally the first boy who spoke looked back at them, the over at his friends on the spare swings. They quickly got off and re-joined the group, leaving the swings free again.  
  
"Thanks." Bubbles smiled happily as her and her friend walked over to do a little swinging.  
  
Buttercup just stared at Blossom for a few minutes before speaking. "Where the heck did you hear all of that Blossom?" She asked in amazement.  
  
"I just thought it up, makes sense to me, doesn't it to you?" Blossom replied sensibly.  
  
"Yeah I guess..." Buttercup shook her head before looking back down at their game of jacks.  
  
THE END 


	3. 302- Dark Angel

302- Dark Angel  
  
  
"Uhn..." Buttercup groaned softly and bit her lip to try to contain herself. It was hard to keep from crying out and letting all of Townsville know what they were doing, but she had to keep it in. If anybody knew they would both be in serious trouble. Her breath came in short, heavy gasps as she arched her back a bit. Sweat ran down her forehead and her eyes were clenched shut as he sent feelings she'd never get tired of surging through her body. Feelings of excitement and passion the likes of which nobody else could ever hope to inspire in her. It only grew stronger as she clenched her eyes shut tighter and felt his hand helping her any way he could.  
  
Her mind grew clouded however with darker feelings of hatred and revenge that flooded through her mind without warning or cause. She gasped out in shock when she saw a single image of a boy smaller than the Powerpuffs themselves. It wasn't the boy himself that shocked her though. He was wearing a black shroud that whirled and twisted as if it was alive. Its essence flowed through the boy and he just grinned maliciously at her as the shroud drew itself tighter around him. He welcomed it and smiled even more, watching her mockingly. Mocking her emotions, her body, everything she'd ever felt was important...  
  
"Buttercup! Buttercup!" She gasped again as her eyes flew open to stare up into Bricks' crimson orbs. She was drenched with sweat now, but it wasn't from the heights of passion he'd been bringing her to. This was a cold sweat, inspired by whatever had sent that image through her mind... "Buttercup are you okay?" He asked worriedly as he put one hand gently against her cheek.  
  
"Y... Yeah..." She finally replied, pushing herself up to a sitting position and looking around quickly for any sign of the figure. They were hiding out on top of Miss Keanes' roof where nobody really ever went. They couldn't have been seen from anywhere short of someone flying directly overhead. There was no way anybody could have caught them up there... but who was that boy?  
  
"Are you sure? You almost looked like you were in pain... God I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked worriedly again.  
  
"No you didn't hurt me Brick... You did fine..." Buttercup whispered softly, still looking around wonderingly. "I guess maybe I dozed off or something..." She muttered to herself. Brick looked down demurely at that suggestion, it wasn't really the kind of thing a guy liked to hear. "Oh no I didn't mean it like that I just... Oh I don't know!" She yelled in frustration as she reached down to pull her underwear and tights back into place.  
  
"Maybe we should head back inside before someone misses us..." Brick suggested softly. He looked incredibly disappointed and confused by all of this. In all honestly Buttercup couldn't blame him. She was a bit disappointed too, she hadn't even gotten to finish. She wasn't really in the mood to be alone right now though, she wanted to be around people for the moment. She'd have to make it up to him later for cutting this so short.  
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[That's him?] The boy asked as the cloak unwound itself from him, the invisibility wearing off as the two floated in the opposite direction. [That's the one I came here to find?]  
  
[Yes, but remember I want the girl too. The only way I can be truly bonded with you is if she no longer holds me. We must sever the link between us.] Another voice deep in the back of his mind informed him. He nodded slightly as he watched the two small figure disappear over the side of the building. They would wait for their opportunity, and then take their revenge on both of those puffs. They would both pay for what they'd done.  
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"Yeah, uh-huh... No I don't think we need any ponies." Blossom said into the phone irritably as she scribbled furiously on a notepad. "Can't we just have a nice family get-together for once without the whole city being involved?" She asked with a soft sigh as Boomer entered the room. "Okay okay we'll do the usual demonstration for the people... then can we just take the day off? Okay great, thanks Mayor." She quickly hung up before she could be talked into anything else.  
  
"What was that all about?" Boomer asked when she finally put the phone back on the hook.  
  
"Powerpuff Girls day is coming up tomorrow and the Mayor wants to do something special for us." Blossom sighed and threw the pen and notepad on the desk. "I know he's trying to be nice, but I hate Powerpuff Girls day..." She put one hand to her head and leaned back on the chair.  
  
"Well it's only once a year, and at least you get a few gifts." Boomer said, trying to cheer her up. "Heck they've already given you... what, four statues?"  
  
"Actually it was the same statue over and over every year, they just keep repainting it every two years or so." Blossom grumbled.  
  
"Hey come on, it's the Mayor, what do you expect? He's trying at least to show his appreciation." The Rowdyruff Boy pointed out. "Heck, I'd love a Rowdyruff Boys day, but that's not happening. We get to celebrate Powerpuff Girls day along with you, do you know how embarrassing that is to be a boy called a Powerpuff Girl?" Blossom couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that.  
  
"Yeah well it's not like your called that any other day of the year." Blossom pointed out sensibly. "Besides, maybe I can have the Mayor change it to PowerPeople day or something."  
  
"Nah that just sounds hokey." Boomer smirked. "I was just saying, at least they do something to show they like you girls."  
  
"Ah they like you too, you just came too late for your own holiday." Blossom replied good-naturedly. Boomer was about to respond but Buttercup and Brick opened the door and came in before he could. They both looked kind of weary, but Buttercup was literally shaking as she stepped inside and looked around.   
  
"Buttercup, are you alright?" Blossom asked worriedly as she took her sister by the shoulders and led her over to the couch gently. "You're shaking, what on Earth happened?" She looked over at Brick curiously. The boy just shrugged to indicate he was as confused as she was.  
  
"It's nothing... I guess I'm just not feeling too good." Buttercup replied softly as she let herself plop down onto to the couch cushion.  
  
"Well come on... I have to go check out the square to see that everything's in order for the Powerpuff Girls day celebration. You can come too and we can all stop for something to eat on the way home." Blossom suggested sensibly. Nobody else could really argue, so she took her sisters hand and led her out of the house gently followed by the two boys.  
  
Then they reached the square they saw a huge tent set up right in the center of the City Square. There were performers and refreshment stands and yes, even ponies littering the entire place. The four heroes just stared around at all the commotion until the Mayor walked up to them finally.  
  
"Just look at it, everything a little girl could possibly want is right here." The Mayor said with a proud smile. "Nothing but the best for our little Powerpuff Girls." He announced.  
  
"Uh... Great... It's exactly what we were hoping for..." Blossom said softly as the group of tiny heroes just stared numbly around at all of the childish things. The Mayor was trying his best to be nice, he just didn't know the girls were past most of this by now... Except maybe Bubbles, she would probably get a kick out of it when she saw it.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Of course. Very great." The other three said quickly, following Blossoms lead.  
  
"Well I'll leave you girls to wander, I have to find Miss Bellum around somewhere... Oh Miss Bellum." He called out as he walked away from the puffs and ruffs.  
  
"Geeze, looks like they brought out just about everything but Santa Clause." Boomer commented with a wry smirk.  
  
"I wouldn't press my luck if I were you, the Mayor might hear you." Blossom replied with a lighthearted smile.  
  
"Well as long as these booths are here we'd might as well take advantage of them and get a bite to eat." Brick said with a light smirk as he took Buttercups hand to guide her over to one of the concession stands that was already up. She was still looking a little on the weak side, so he figured that maybe some food would help her out.  
  
Blossom and Boomer followed them over to the stand, which turned out to serve nothing but cotton candy. So they all ordered one and turned to roam the fairgrounds while they ate. It looked like a pretty standard carnival complete with clowns and entertainment, almost all of which was for little kids. Aw well, the girls still appreciated the gesture.  
  
Buttercup never really stopped shaking as they walked around examining the entertainment and food that would be served at the celebration. She kept looking around nervously, like she was afraid of being jumped from behind. The others all noticed, but Brick didn't even bother to hide his worry. She told him several times to relax over the course of the day, but he never did.  
  
Finally Brick stopped and took her hand firmly in his so she couldn't escape. "Buttercup is something wrong?" He asked simply, ignoring the indignant look she gave him. "Don't tell me no either." He told her.  
  
"So you want me to lie?" Buttercup asked darkly. Blossom looked over at boomer quickly and gestured away from the couple. The blond ruff nodded back and they both turned to explore on their own, leaving Brick and Buttercup alone in the center of the fair.  
  
"No I want the truth, you've been freaked out ever since..." He trailed off, not really wanting to say it out loud. They enjoyed making out in private and touching each other, but he wasn't too open to talking about it in public. This normally suited Buttercup just fine too since she hated showing affection in public.  
  
"It was just a small... thing." She replied, then quickly spoke again before he could take that out of context. "I just... It's really nothing but... I mean..." She stuttered over her own tongue, trying to find a way to explain it. "It was just a feeling... You know like really intense and I just couldn't shake it..."  
  
"Well I think that's the point of what we were doing." Brick joked, earning a half-hearted slap from Buttercup.  
  
"I don't mean that." She told him angrily, though her eyes looked more worried than truly mad. "It felt almost like... Like Mange but... something was added... something was different..." She said softly, staring into his eyes worriedly. "It's been four years, I don't want her to come back..."  
  
"Then she won't..." Brick told her softly as he took her in his arms and hugged her close. She didn't like public displays of affection, but sometimes when one needed comfort they forgot about their surroundings. "You're the master of yourself, Mange can't come back unless you let her remember?" He reminded her gently, rubbing his cheek against hers.  
  
"Brick..." She muttered, pulling away from him slightly to look him in the eyes seriously. "... Are you growing a beard?" She asked with a small smirk. The Rowdyruff Boy chuckled and ran one hand along his chin and cheek. It did feel a little bit fuzzy.  
  
"I guess so... Who knew I COULD?" He replied with a smile. They both chuckled as he patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Come on, let's go find Blossom and Boomer so we can go home." He told her gently. She nodded and turned to walk away while he draped one arm around her shoulders and walked with her.  
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"Look at her... All over him the little slut..." The boy said to himself as he watched the ruff/puff pair walk off together slowly. "I'll enjoy wiping them both out... with your help of course." He said gratefully before the familiar and welcome voice sounded in his mind.  
  
[Of course dear, and when both of them are out of the way, we shall be able to truly bond.] The voice sounded as eager for the upcoming confrontation as the boy felt. The voice had been with him as long as he could possibly remember in his three years of age. Some people said he'd matured pretty fast, though nobody knew where he'd really come from. By all accounts his mother had died during childbirth... He'd been alone with only his angel to guide him since his father had never been around.  
  
Now that he'd found Brick though he'd pay for deserting him and his mother, letting her die from the stress... His angel had led him here to hunt these two down. She did everything for him though he was never able to see her. She gave him power and guidance, like an angel, so that's how he'd come to view her. Together they'd take care of these little murderers...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Buttercup shivered again despite herself and looked around worriedly for the thousandth time that day. She just couldn't calm down no matter how silly she told herself these fears really were. For once she welcomed the slight comforting squeeze Brick gave her shoulders even though they were still outside the house. She tried to deny it to herself but she could feel Mange... and it was still different. The feeling confused her a lot...  
  
She nearly passed out on the couch when they finally got home and went into the living room. Brick kept her awake though by massaging her temples and running his hands through her hair worriedly. She hoped she was wrong about these feelings, but she just couldn't deny them.  
  
"Come on, why don't I go ahead and get you into bed?" Brick suggested as he picked Buttercup up in his arms and stood up. It was still very early, but she didn't look like she was in any condition to stay up much longer. She protested of course, but didn't fight too much as he floated up the stairs and into the Powerpuff Girls' bedroom to lie her down gently on her bed.  
  
"Really I'm alright..." She mumbled rebelliously though she made no move to get up or let go of Bricks' neck. She was feeling unusually open and exposed right now, she just wanted the feeling to go away. "I just have a bit of a headache, that's all." She told him softly.  
  
"Well laying down helps headaches so you're staying here." Brick told her as he just lay down beside her with his head resting on her chest. He could feel her heart racing a mile a minute against his cheek and her breath was quick and worried. He reached one hand up to run it through her hair gently, trying to calm her down a bit.  
  
"Come here..." She muttered as she pulled him up so his face was level with hers. She wrapped her arms around him and stared at him for a few moments, her head lying back against the pillow. "Stay here with me tonight would ya? Don't really want to... you know... be alone." She told him softly. They both knew her sisters would be sleeping in the bed right beside her, but it was clear that wasn't what she needed.  
  
"Sure, that's no problem. Be a pleasure." He replied with a small smile before he leaned down to touch his lips to hers. She kissed him back gently and pulled him a bit closer, keeping her arms tightly around him like she was almost afraid to let go. This wasn't like her at all, obviously something was still bugging her. Why did she refuse to talk about it? She should be able to talk to him about anything. Oh well... she would talk to him when she was ready. He would still be here for her either way.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"What do you guys think is wrong with Buttercup?" Blossom asked Boomer and Bubbles once the couple had disappeared into the Powerpuffs' bedroom. Bubbles had spent most of the day down at the playground with Elibell, but she'd come back home since it was already getting pretty late in the evening.  
  
"Seems a little too similar to the last time she was hiding something from us... I think we should just demand that she tell us." Boomer said simply. "Better than waiting for something else to happen."  
  
"But we all have our privacy, we can't just invade Buttercups for no reason." Bubbles reminded him firmly.  
  
"Knowing Buttercup she would hide if she knew there was a nuclear missile heading for Townsville. If what she's hiding affects us as superheroes we should know about it." Boomer retorted.  
  
"But she has her privacy!" Bubbles shouted, angry that someone would try to accuse her sister of keeping something important hidden.  
  
"You're both right." Blossom interjected to halt the conversation. "We can't just demand that she talk to us, but it might be important to Townsville. There's nothing we can do about it though. I trust Buttercup enough to think that she'd tell us about any immediate danger to the city so I say we wait it out until she decides to talk on her own." She said reasonably.  
  
"Hyeah, besides if she talks to anybody it'll be Brick." Boomer smirked ironically.  
  
"And just WHY is that a bad thing?" Blossom demanded, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him forcefully.  
  
"It's not I just mean... um..." He cleared his throat and looked down at the floor without another word.  
  
"Um... is there something I don't know?" Bubbles asked curiously, looking back and forth between the two.  
  
"No." Blossom said quickly, turning back to the business at hand. "So we wait... maybe it's just nerves. Tomorrow's Powerpuff Girls day so maybe she'll relax a little at the celebration."  
  
"It is!? Oh I completely forgot! Yay! Powerpuf Girls day, Powerpuff Girls day!" Bubbles shouted, giggling happily. The other two just smiled at her slightly. At least one of them would have fun at the festivities tomorrow.  
  
Miss Keane walked into the room as she dried her hands off from doing the dishes. "Bed time kids." She told them with a small smile. "You need a lot of rest for tomorrow I'll bet."  
  
"Okay, come on Bubbles, let's head on up to bed." Blossom said as she got up to float over to the stairs. They weren't always so willing, but the last thing they needed was for Miss Keane to go up first and catch the lovebirds nesting together. She really didn't want to go in the room either, but just a week or two ago when it'd first started the three girls had had a serious discussion about it. They weren't getting their own rooms and didn't want to ask since it'd only make more work for their guardian, so they would just get used to each other occasionally having another bedmate... as long as none of them actually had real sex. Luckily even Buttercup agreed on that point and they hadn't had much trouble since.  
  
Of course for the moment only Buttercup benefited from that decision since she was the only puff with a boyfriend. Aw well, Blossom herself didn't really want one and Bubbles seemed happy enough. It all worked itself out once they all got used to the arrangement.  
  
She opened the door just a crack at first to see what was going on. When she saw Brick lying on his back under the covers with Buttercup asleep with her head on his chest she figured they were done for the night. She pushed the door in so she and Bubbles could go inside before shutting it behind her again.  
  
"How's she feeling?" Blossom asked softly so she wouldn't wake up Buttercup.  
  
"She's really tired, whatever spooked her earlier did a really good job of it." Brick replied just as softly, running one hand through his girlfriend soft black hair. It was no longer up in its usual horn-like style, but instead it flowed down around her face and on his chest.  
  
"I wonder what it could be." Bubbles mused to herself as she and Blossom floated over to the closet and shut themselves inside. In a few moments they emerged again wearing their nightgowns and floated up to sit on their respective beds. Thanks to Bricks' charging the Mayor per deed they'd been able to upgrade the bed to three individual beds for the girls. "Maybe it was a monster."  
  
"Buttercup eats monsters for breakfast." Blossom replied thoughtfully. "Well there's no use worrying about it now." She said before she turned to stare at Brick intently. "Now tomorrow you're going to stay with her during the celebration right? You know, cheer her up a bit?" She asked.  
  
"Of course." Brick replied sounding a bit put off she even had to ask. "I'll do everything I can to cheer her up." He said firmly.  
  
"Good, just making sure." Blossom said as she floated over to the light switch. "Everyone keep an eye out though, just in case whatever it is is hostile." Bubbles and Brick nodded back to her before she flicked off the light-switch and floated back to her bed to crawl under the covers. She hoped nothing really bad would happen tomorrow, especially since it was supposed to be a celebration.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The next day went pretty smoothly for the most part. The usual re-shining of the statue went off without a hitch and people were enjoying the celebration, as they should. Bubbles personally went around 'testing' every single ride... for safety purposes of course. She was a big girl after all. Buttercup was still unusually mellow, but did perk up a bit more as the day began to wear on and nothing bad happened. Brick, as promised, didn't leave her side once for the duration of the entire celebration. Blossom just dealt with all the hullabaloo and managed to convince the Mayor to call off the girls' annual demonstration for her sisters' sake. Boomer just floated here and there randomly, having nothing to really do. Oddly enough Butch was a complete no-show, as the PPG leader now realized he had been for the last three days. He was always a loner these days, but she hadn't seen him at all lately. She should really look for him once she was done here.  
  
The twilight of evening was shining down when the celebration finally began to lose momentum. If there was one thing the citizens of Townsville loved to do, it was celebrate. Blossom floated over tot he entrance of the Town Square to wait for the rest of the ruffs/puffs to show up and they could go home. She greeted an occasional citizen who was on their way home with a kind smile and nod until they did show up.  
  
"See Buttercup, I told you nothing would happen." Brick told his girlfriend good-naturedly as the rest of the mini-heroes floated up to join the leader by the Town Square entrance.  
  
"Yeah I guess." Buttercup replied with a slight smile.  
  
"I guess we'd might as well go... home?" Bubbles looked back curiously at the sound of a commotion from back at the edge of the fairgrounds. People were gawking at something and a crowd had gathered around the strength testing section with the hammer and bell.  
  
"I wonder what that's all about." Boomer said as he floated a bit off the ground to see better. The others all followed suit and looked over the crowd to see a young boy standing in front of the pole with a giant mallet clutched in his hands. He couldn't have been more than three years old, but he wielded the giant weapon easily and the look in his eyes looked far more intent than anyone would expect from one that age.  
  
He was wearing a pitch-black trench coat that draped across his whole body and dragged along the floor limply. The coat had a neck that went along the back sticking straight up over his head. A dark red cap obscured his face from view as he just faced the pole that had the bell at the top of it.  
  
Even though it was three times longer than he was tall, he hefted the mallet easily above his head and brought it crashing down on the panel in front of him. The small object shot up the pole like a rocket and slammed hard against the bell, sending it rocking on its precarious perch with a loud clanging noise.  
  
"Come on... let's go say hi." Blossom said as she floated over to the kid above the crowd. The rest of the group followed her until they were all standing inside the little circle that had formed around the kid. He was a bit shorter than the puffs and ruffs were, so they couldn't see his eyes at all under the cap. "Hey, you get lost or something?" Blossom asked gently.  
  
The kid shook his head slowly and just stared back at them from under the rim of his cap. Finally Bubbles tried to speak to him. "Hey, where'd you come from? Can we help you find your mommy?" She asked lightly, walking up to him and getting on her knees beside him. The kid shook his head again slowly.  
  
"I have a bad feeling..." Buttercup mumbled as she put her hands on her stomach wearily. Brick put his hands on her shoulders gently even as the boy turned to face them squarely.  
  
"What do you want?" Brick demanded of him irritably. He was getting tired of this game; Buttercup needed to get home. Instead of responding though the boys' coat began to shiver and move on its own, flowing around the boys body and away from it. The coat split in two behind him, revealing a pitch-black shirt and pants underneath. The boys' face was still hidden under his cap though as the coat split into two pieces, almost looking like a pair of wings attached to his back by now.  
  
"Who are you!?" Blossom demanded, now taking up a defensive fighting stance with her fists in front of her. The others all followed suit except for Buttercup, who was looking very sickly at the moment.  
  
"I have no name..." The boy replied softly, finally raising his face to glare at them. His skin was deathly pale, a stark contrast to the dark shroud that covered the rest of his body. His eyes were bright red. "Nobody ever gave me one." He told them as he looked down at the shadows that covered most of his body. He put one hand on his sleeve gently with a loving smile. "Only Angel here ever cared about me..." He whispered.  
  
It was then Blossom realized that his hands didn't look normal... they didn't have any fingers... those were the hands of a Rowdyruff Boy. "Where did you come from?" She asked intently.  
  
"I don't remember... but Angel tells me I was born three years ago... my mom died right after and... and it's all my fathers' fault." The boy replied, raising his accusing glare right at Brick. "Him and his little bitch..." He said darkly. The rest of the puffs/ruffs turned to stare at Brick curiously, but he just looked completely dumbfounded.  
  
"If you're only three you're a little young to be using that kind of language aren't you?" Boomer asked the boy curiously.  
  
"Angel says it's alright because I've been through a lot and I'm different..." the boy replied.  
  
"Who is this Angel?" Buttercup asked from behind the others. She didn't sound upset or even challenging, but just more curious and almost deathly sure of herself.  
  
"This is my guardian angel..." The boy told her, gesturing to the dark pair of wings that spread out from his back. "She's always around me... she protects me from those who want to hurt me... And she helped me find the ones who made my life like this." He said, glaring at Brick again.  
  
"Look kid, I don't know what you're going on about but I'm WAY too young to have a three year old sun, I would have had to be nine when..." He trailed off suddenly realizing something. Then he shook his head furiously. "I was too young, there's no way!" He insisted. "Even if I did sleep with someone... a nine-year-old can't get a woman pregnant... can they?"  
  
"Sedusa..." Buttercup murmured, squinting her eyes and glaring at the boy now. "Are you having fun you evil bitch? Are you having fun ruining my life AGAIN?" She demanded angrily, throwing herself in front of the others. "Or do you just like manipulating others... MANGE?" She asked angrily.  
  
"I don't know who Mange is, but YOU'RE the reason my dad wasn't there for mom when she died... you're the reason he couldn't help save her!" The shadow that encompassed him shivered and became more solidified, as though the wings were preparing for flight. "I could have had a family if it wasn't for you two... I could have had a life!" He howled with more rage than any child his age should have been able to know. It was clear now though that Mange hadn't vanished those years ago, she'd simply left to find someone to help her. Someone young, easily impressionable and malleable... a newborn child was all of those things and even moreso as he grew until now he'd been taught nothing but hatred and revenge.  
  
"You CAN have a life, just come with us, you don't need to hurt anybody!" Bubbles pleaded with the boy, not really wanting to hurt him since he was so young. The others knew they didn't have much of a choice though.  
  
"My life is hell thanks to them!" The boy howled with a somewhat familiar shadowy inflection. "So yours is over!" He howled as he thrust himself forward through the air with his wings toward Buttercup and Brick. Blossom pieced together from current evidence that though he looked like a Rowdyruff he didn't have the powers or he wouldn't need Mange to form a pair of wings. Somehow the boy and Mange were operating at the same time with the same body... probably because he'd been conditioned for this since birth by the specter.   
  
The puffs/ruffs all took off into the air in different directions as he approached. He turned easily upward to follow right behind Brick. The shadow that spread along his arm stretched forward in a thin line, going limp a moment later to form a kind of whip attached directly to his arm. He thrust the whip forward quickly, wrapping it around both of the Rowdyruff Boys' legs.  
  
Before he could do anything else though Blossom and Boomer slammed themselves into him, sending him plummeting back tot he ground heavily. The blow didn't seem to have much effect though as the boy threw himself off the ground again in a moment, the dark wings spreading wide behind him.  
  
"Bubbles, do it." Blossom said simply.  
  
"But if I hurt Mange while the boys' in the air..." Bubbles complained worriedly.  
  
"He's not that high up, he'll be alright, but we have to stop this fight before some innocent bystander gets hurt." Blossom told her seriously.  
  
Bubbled sighed a bit sadly before she filled her lungs to capacity with as much air as she could squeeze into them. Just before the boy reached them with dark blades on each hand she let out a piercing scream. The sonic wave tore through the air quickly, causing everyone in range to clutch their ears painfully. Mange though was devastated by the sound, plummeting back down uncontrollably until she slammed into the pavement. This time she hadn't been able to completely cushion the boy, so he was knocked out cold.  
  
The puffs/ruffs quickly gathered around him to make sure he was really out before Buttercup spoke. "Can he really be Bricks' son?" She asked the question all of them were dying to know the answer to.  
  
"Let's take him to Professor Tuyoma, if anybody would be able to tell us it'd be her." Blossom said sensibly. So they picked the boy up and carried him back to the good Professors' lab. Over the years she'd gotten back into the field of science until she'd become the head of Townsville's biggest technological firm.  
  
They quickly explained the situation to her and she told them to put the boy in the containment cell once used to keep Buttercup from hurting anybody. From there she began to run scans and tests to see just what the kid was made of. When they were complete she called a meeting of all the puffs/ruffs in her lab.  
  
"It would seem our good friend has quite a... unique mix of characteristics." She told them with a small smirk. "He is definitely the child of Brick and Sedusa, but another presence indicates affinity with Buttercup as well... I can't figure it out..." She said.  
  
"Mange, she's been with him since he was born he said..." Buttercup said softly. Professor Tuyoma nodded at this.  
  
"That would seem to explain it... Children are quite malleable in every way as infants, it wouldn't be so hard to believe another consciousness in his body wouldn't make some physiological changes... Such as his apparent puffness..."  
  
"Wait wait wait time out." Brick said quickly, putting his hands up in a kind of cross. "How could I get someone pregnant at nine years old? I thought that was physically impossible." He demanded.  
  
"Perhaps the physiological differences between you and normal children carried over somewhat from your Rowdyruff state to your normal state, making you virile." Patrisha conjectured. "It really is quite fascinating if that's the case, I thought I had the process perfect..."  
  
"HELLO!" Brick demanded, growing frantic. "If nobody else noticed I have a SON! What am I supposed to do here!?" He said worriedly.  
  
"Relax, it's not like we're adopting him. He DID just try to kill us, I say we get rid of him and the damn demon inside of him." Buttercup suggested, obviously not liking her counterparts return one bit.  
  
"We can't just get rid of him like that Buttercup, it's not his fault he's like this, Mange corrupted him." Blossom pointed out quickly.  
  
"Oh so this is all my fault all of a sudden?" Buttercup demanded angrily. "Well what about Mr. Brick-For-A-Dick over here who had to screw Sedusa in the first place!?" She yelled angrily. Brick just blushed bright red and looked down while everyone else looked away politely. Nobody was quite used to that kind of talk.  
  
"Pointing blame at him isn't going to solve our problem Buttercup!" Blossom told her firmly. "It doesn't matter WHO'S responsible, we still have to solve the problem together."  
  
"Why not just let me out?" They all whirled around when they heard the kids' voice from inside the cell. He was hanging right in front of the window, held above the floor by several tendrils of darkness acting as his legs. "I promise I won't bite, though I can't guarantee about any other offensive action." He said with a slight grin. It was clear his mind itself had been shaped by Manges' twisted views since birth into this...  
  
"Why not just leave them in there? They can't hurt anyone and maybe he'll eventually come to his senses." Boomer suggested.  
  
"I said let me out!" the kid demanded again, putting his hand against the window. The electricity surged through him in a giant wave, causing the shadows surrounding him to shiver in response. He didn't let up though, leaving his hand on the glass and letting the power run through him.  
  
"Stop! You're going to hurt yourself!" Bubbles shouted in alarm. "Professor!" She shouted, turning to Patrisha. "We have to stop him!"  
  
"Stop it kid!" Brick shouted worriedly. The boy paid them no heed through, leaving his hand pressed up against the glass as the energy surged through him dangerously. They could all see him weakening slowly as the power sapped the strength from him. Finally Professor Tuyoma had to reach down and de-activate the current to keep him from seriously hurting himself.  
  
The boy fell against the glass weakly, the shadows that held him suspended shivering weakly along with him. In a moment though he looked up at them triumphantly as the shadows spread up to cover his arm. He plunged his arm through the glass and threw himself to the floor in between the group of puffs and ruffs.  
  
"You don't think you can beat all of us do you Mange?" Buttercup asked darkly as she faced the figure. The shroud covered the boy almost like a flowing cloak that moved of its own volition as he turned slowly to examine each of them in turn. Finally his gaze settled firmly on Brick, a look of absolute rage filling his eyes in under an instant.  
  
Buttercup leapt between them glaring angrily at the boy. "Gonna have to go through me if you want him pal." She said firmly.  
  
"Gonna have to go through all of us." Blossom added as she, Bubbles and Boomer moved to stand beside the brunette puff. The boy just glared at them through narrowed eyes for a few minutes, the specter in his mind gauging the odds and deciding on a course of action. It was doubtful whether he'd ever made a decision truly by himself.  
  
Brick pushed his way in front of the others in a moment so he could face the kid himself. "If everything you've been saying, and the DNA tests are true, then you're my son." He said, sounding a bit stunned along with trying to sound authoritative. "Now stop this stupidity and just calm the hell down."  
  
"You want to tell me what to do after three years of having nobody but my Angel to help me... You want to be my father now?" the kid asked as the shadow blades once again slid out of each arm. "Come here then and try to tell me what to do." He demanded as he hefted the blades in front of him. Buttercup reached out and dragged her boyfriend back before he could get skewered.  
  
"Just get back in the cell, we can help you get free of Mange." Blossom pleaded with the kid to listen to reason.  
  
"Free... She's been my mother for my whole life. She loved me when everybody else called me a freak-baby and abandoned me." He replied as he looked down at his fingerless hands. "And you want to take her away from me... they say babies don't feel anything or remember, well I did! From the moment I was born I could think and feel, though I didn't know what was what. I was confused and alone within weeks of my birth... I didn't know what to even do to survive... until she found me and taught me everything." He said softly.  
  
"She didn't teach you everything..." Bubbles replied sadly. "She only taught you to hate and want revenge, she didn't teach you about love or happiness..." She sighed with genuine regret even though she really had nothing to do with him. Bubbles was always sympathetic to everybody it seemed.  
  
"My Angel loves me, like YOU never did!" The boy exclaimed as he took a step toward Brick. The others surrounded him again though, making the boy back off. "That's alright, I've waited three years to find you, and I can wait a while longer. You WILL pay for abandoning us though 'father'" He said the last word acidly. "Make no mistake about it." With that the dark shroud spun and engulfed him in a wave of blackness until finally it vanished in upon itself, leaving not a trace of what had been there a moment before.  
  
Silence prevailed in the entire lab for a long time as everyone struggled to realize just what was going on. Bricks' son... he didn't even have a name. Brick especially had trouble grasping it, and even Buttercups' soft touch on his shoulder didn't help his head clear any. He couldn't have a son, he was way too young for it in every way, physical and mental. He did though... and that confused him more than anything else he'd ever seen.  
  
"Come on, let's just head home... We'll deal with sonny boy next time we see him." Buttercup said as she stared at the spot where the boy had been. She could still feel Mange when she was close, still hear her talking to the boy. She had the kid convinced she was the only positive force there was, and the puffs/ruffs were all responsible for his difficult life. The worst part of the whole thing was she wasn't too sure that wasn't true at least in Bricks' case...  
  
Well in any case no matter whose fault it was Blossom was right, they'd all figure it out. She'd forgiven Brick for his transgression long ago... she couldn't go getting mad about it again especially now that he had a new enemy out for his blood. She'd stick with him no matter what, son or no son... Because in the end, that's what love was all about.  
  
THE END 


	4. 303- Love And Death

303- Love and Death  
  
  
Blossom sighed and just stood aside while Boomer moved in place beside her on the couch to show her how to play the game they were currently glued to. "This one fires, and this one jumps." He pressed each button in turn, showing her what they did. "Oh and this one over here changed weapons. See a flame-thrower, rocket launcher..."  
  
"Okay thanks I think I got it." Blossom told him as she grabbed the controller from him. This was a new game, but it wasn't like she'd never played a game before.  
  
"Just want to make sure you can't blame your loss on not knowing how to play." Boomer gave her a challenging grin as he grabbed his own controller and pressed the button to bring up the two player options. He couldn't help shooting a few glances over at her and smiling out of the corner of his mouth. They wound up spending a lot of time together lately, maybe that meant she liked spending time with him too? It was a nice thought anyway... though he wasn't sure Blossom would ever want a boyfriend, let alone him.  
  
"Why'd you want to play with ME anyway?" Blossom asked suspiciously as she shot him a sideways glance. He looked down quickly when she caught him staring at her again. She knew he liked her, but he knew she didn't really like him that way either. It sucked, but that was life.  
  
"Because... Uh... you're a friend?" Boomer replied lamely. He silently chided himself for being so bloody stupid about everything.  
  
"Mmhmm..." Blossom hummed as she shook her head and concentrated on the game again.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"That... that... little... LYING TRAITOR!" The red-haired girl screamed furiously as she grabbed the small mirror that had been showing Boomer and threw it against the wall. "He was supposed to WAIT for me not fall in love with that Powerpuff Girl!" Princess screamed angrily. "I won't stand for this! I'll get back there and make him like me again if it's the last thing I do!"  
  
Professor Utonium let out a small sigh and rolled his eyes at the little girls' behavior. Her and Boomer had been learning to love each other here in Eternity during their time together. He should have known going back to Earth would change Boomers' mind about staying with the rather hard to handle Princess Morbucks.  
  
"I'll go down there, and remind him that he's still MY boyfriend! He can't go out with Blossom!" She howled angrily. Her very pretty young face was red with indignation. Eternity wasn't a physical place, and thus it was possible to look like anything one wanted. The Professor chose to look like himself, being comfortable with it. Princess though made herself into an actual Princess who'd filled out almost unnaturally well in the more appealing areas.  
  
"Just be patient, he'll be back when he's not needed down there anymore." The Professor replied, shooting her an annoyed glare over the newspaper he'd been trying to read.  
  
"Forget that! I'm going!" She whirled and stalked away from the Professor without another word. Once she had her mind set on something nothing could change her mind. She would get back to Earth somehow and get her man back from that little witch... all she needed was a way back.  
  
She frowned as she walked up to the portal that spanned the barrier between Eternity and Earth. Nobody really knew where it was, she only knew because she'd been here when Boomer had gone back. She'd been here when he'd PROMISED to come back to HER, not fall for some Powerpuff slut.  
  
Her frown deepened as she examined the sturdy lock that held the gate shut. Only three people in all of Eternity had keys to this gate. The lords themselves and their only son... As she had to do was convince that son to give her his key... one way or another.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
He could feel the world melting away in his mind, all of his worries and depression were gone in those moments of sheer bliss that swept through his body. He could feel her underneath him, looking to be feeling the very same way. Nothing could hut him while he was like this, he wasn't a disappointment or a failure. He wasn't just another kid compared with his siblings who always had to show themselves off.  
  
He didn't care about the consequences, he didn't care what this made him. He felt like a hero in his own right like this, as he SHOULD have been. He should STILL be one if there was any order to the universe at all. Alas, he was reduced to a normal little kid living in the shadows of things much larger than he could ever hope to contend with now. He had nothing to lose... nowhere to go but up.  
  
And right here like this with a girl he was higher than anything had brought him since he'd become normal. The feel of her pressed up against him, closing around him... it made him feel like a God. He'd thought he could stand being a normal kid with a normal girlfriend in a normal life... but watching his siblings always facing peril together, always having excitement thrust at them on a regular basis... it was too much.  
  
As he came down off of his high he fell onto the bed on top of the girl underneath him. He didn't remember her name... it didn't matter. He was nothing now, inconsequential. What he did would affect nobody else, if he died everybody would be fine. He was unnecessary here, and now he lived only to take what little happiness he could out of life. Contentment couldn't be his without his powers... he was MEANT to have them... so he took what he could from other venues...  
  
"Butch..." The girl beneath him whispered as she moved her hands along his bare back. He wearily pushed himself to the side off of her onto the double bed. Without a word he reached over tot he nightstand to pull a cigarette out of a pack and stick it in his mouth before reaching for the lighter. He hadn't even been home in a solid week, but he doubted anyone noticed. He'd always been the earliest to wake, and the latest to get home. They didn't expect to see him anymore.  
  
He took a puff of the smoke into his lungs, letting it course through his body before he finally exhaled it again in a small cloud. He was long used to the sting of smoke, though none of his 'family' knew it. There was a lot they didn't know, and didn't need to know. Since he wasn't a Rowdyruff Boy like his brothers, nobody really cared to pay attention to him. Sure they'd tried to keep up with him at first, but eventually they'd just stopped and left him alone.  
  
"Butch are you alright?" The girl asked with a tinge of concern in her voice. He just smirked and stared up at the ceiling blankly. He didn't care about anything anymore, what reason was there to care? He once had all the power in the world to protect, and change things... now he was just nothing scrambling to get what he could. Nothing...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"DERAIN YOU GIVE ME THAT KEY RIGHT NOW!" Princess shrieked at the top of her lugs at the boy who would someday rule all of existence. This fact didn't stop her from her old habit of getting her way though. She'd never taken no for an answer, and she wouldn't start now.  
  
"No." Derain obviously hadn't heard that she was supposed to always be right. "I don't care what you say or what you do, this key is not something to mess around with. The gate's locked for a reason, to keep stubborn brats like YOU in." He said firmly.  
  
"How dare you call me a brat, I am Princess Morbucks!" She shrieked angrily. Seeing his baleful expression she gave up on that method and turned to a new one she was finally able to use thanks to Eternity's physical changing properties. "Please... I'll do... anything..." she said sensuously as she leaned against him, pulling him into a small embrace.  
  
"Oh please, I have people for that, just give it up. Trying to seduce the key out of me will only piss me off and you don't want to see that." Derain replied with a wry smirk.  
  
"Hmph, well fine. I'll just find another way out and when I'm on Earth there won't be a thing you can do about it so nyah." She stuck her tongue out at him arrogantly before she whirled to stalk away. She kept going until he was out of view before she reached into one pocket and withdrew the key. "I can't believe that worked..." She smirked victoriously. "Princess Pickpocket... has a nice ring to it actually." She chuckled to herself as she made her way to the gates that would lead her back to Earth, and Boomer. She'd show him who was boss.  
  
She walked up to the large gate and stopped for a few moments, examining the lock. It looked like a normal padlock, but there was no keyhole anywhere on it. Luckily she'd seen it opened before and knew what she had to do.  
  
She slowly raised the key in front of her. It didn't look like a normal key, more like a symbol of some kind. It was almost like an open box, what it signified she would never be able to guess. She lifted it up and pressed it firmly against the flat surface of the lock. Immediately the entire thing began to shimmer and glow with an inner light as it vanished from in front of her. In a few moments it was gone completely, leaving her free to enter the portal at leisure.  
  
She smiled victoriously to herself as she took that small step through the portal, on her way to reclaim her man for herself.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Butch didn't look back at the girls' house as he just calmly walked away with the cigarette still in place between his lips. He didn't bother to remember anything about it, he would likely never see it or the girl again. He didn't really see anybody consistently anymore besides Jessica, and that was only because he'd begun sleeping at her place to avoid going home. He couldn't help but wonder if his family had even noticed yet...  
  
He shook his head as he took the cigarette between two fingers and looked around the streets. They were mostly empty save for a few cars heading here and there. The twilight of night was already beginning to show a bit as the sun lowered itself slowly towards the horizon.  
  
In a few moments he approached Jessica's house near the center of town. They weren't going out anymore since he'd cut it off with her... he didn't even really know why he'd done that. He simply didn't think he wanted a girlfriend anymore. She didn't know a lot of the things he did, nobody did. Still she was nice enough to let him stay at her place, bypassing his need to go home to... them... entirely.  
  
He pushed the front door open calmly and went into the living room to plot himself down on the couch. "Have a good time?" He looked over towards the kitchen as Jessica walked into the room, smirking darkly. He couldn't be sure, but he almost though she knew where he'd been.  
  
"I just went out to grab something to eat." He told her, taking another long puff of his cigarette a moment later.  
  
"Right... Grabbed something alright." She calmly reached down to her side and took out a CD to show it to him. "Isn't technology wonderful..." She muttered as she walked over to put it in the computer against the wall of the room. Almost immediately the screen began to show images of him and another girl on the couch... he didn't remember that encounter very well.  
  
"Now, do you want to try to explain, or should I get right to kicking your ass out of my house?" Jessica crossed her arms over her chest and just glared at him angrily. He shrugged his shoulders and simply stared back at her calmly.  
  
"Fine I'm leaving." He stood up without another word and turned to leave. She started to call him back, but stopped short with her mouth hanging open. She hadn't meant for him to really leave... oh she wished he would become the boy she knew once. The one she loved...  
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The air around the Puffs/Ruffs dinner table was oddly silent that evening. Nobody really wanted to speak for some reason none of them could name. It was almost like something was warning them, the calm before the storm... warning them of what though? Even Miss Keane didn't ask about school or heir day or anything, just staring at her food as she ate slowly.  
  
They all jumped when there was a loud, urgent knock on the door. "I'll get it!" Blossom and boomer yelled at once. The Rowdyruff Boy had obviously picked up a few of Blossoms little quirks, he'd never volunteered for anything before. They both got up and streaked over to open the front door. Boomer gasped in surprise when he was grabbed and dragged outside.  
  
"What the..." Blossom exclaimed as she followed him out. She just gaped in confusion as Princess squeezed him tightly to her defensively.  
  
"He's MY boyfriend and YOU can't have him!" She yelled before sticking her tongue out at Blossom.  
  
"I don't want him for a boyfriend. You can keep him." Blossom said as she cocked her head to the side curiously. The last time she'd checked Princess was still missing, wherever she and Boomer had gone over seven years ago.  
  
"Princess... Wh... what are you doing here?" Boomer asked haltingly as she squeezed him even more tightly to her. In a moment she shoved him to arms length and started shaking him furiously.  
  
"What were you doing hitting on another girl huh? Did you forget about poor little Princess still waiting for you?!" She demanded angrily. She really couldn't have manhandled him like this if he'd resisted, but he was too surprised to even remember that he had superpowers.  
  
"No of course not I just... Um... Well it's been so long and... and Blossom's cute..." He muttered, trying to pull away half-heartedly. She kept her grip on him and shook him like a doll though, sending his eyes flying around in his head randomly.  
  
"Stop it Princess, he can't be a superhero if you give him brain damage." Blossom finally grabbed Boomers' arm and yanked her away from the irate brat. The Rowdyruff Boy stumbled into the living room to collapse to the carpet dizzily.  
  
"Hey, you take your crummy hands off of him!" Princess pushed Blossom out of the way as she stomped into the house. She walked up to Boomer and reached down to pick him up in her arms. Obviously she was a bit stronger than she used to be.  
  
"What do you think you're doing? Do you even know what's been happening around here?" Blossom asked as she walked up to the freckled redhead. "Or did you just come back to drag Boomer back to some hidey hole and torture him some more?"  
  
"For your information me and Boomer are very much in love." Princess shot the Powerpuff leader an acidic glance before looking down at the still dazed Rowdyruff Boy. "He just forgot, that's all."  
  
"You? Love? Now I've heard everything." Blossom muttered, rolling her eyes. "You wouldn't know love if it was chewing on your head." She said irritably. She didn't like Boomer 'that' way, but he was still her closest friend and confidant. She didn't want to see him pestered by Princess Morbucks.  
  
"Of COURSE I do! Just because I'm rich and beautiful doesn't mean I don't have a heart... now shut up and get away from us." Princess retorted as she headed into the kitchen. Was she planning to stay with them or something? Well with her dad hauled off to prison there wasn't any other place for her to go... Still Blossom hoped like hell that that wasn't the case.  
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Butch shook his head silently at himself as he walked into one of the many darkened alleys in Townsville. This city was a honeycomb of unused routes and streets thanks to the extremely high crime-rate. The only thing that kept the city populated at all was the protection of the Powerpuff Girls... and the Rowdyruff Boys...  
  
He allowed himself a small sigh as he sat down on the cement with his back up against one of the walls. This wasn't the first time he'd slept out on the streets, it was better than going home. He couldn't stand to watch everyone else anymore, streaking around the house everywhere, using their powers without a thought about anything...  
  
He covered his eyes quickly as a flash of light lit up the entire alley like it was daylight. He jumped up to his feet and looked around for the source. It looked almost like a portal had opened a little further down in the alley. He watched carefully as a dark figure slowly emerged from it into the alley itself. It floated in front of the portal, silhouetted in darkness by the blinding light behind it.  
  
As he watched the figure spread a pair of skeletal wings to either side and brought out a wicked looking scythe in front of him.  
  
"Oh my god..." Butch muttered to himself as she figure started to approach him. He backed away fearfully when he saw a pair of blood red pinpoints of light underneath a thick black hood.  
  
"None can escape the shroud of Death." A dark voice said from somewhere in the depths of the dark cloak as the figure slowly closed the distance between them.  
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Things were unusually mellow around the Keane household as they sat in the living room. Everyone's attention was captivated by Princess who, by all accounts, should still be pretty dead. She claimed she came back fair and square though to get back to Boomer, who looked more shocked out of his wits than really happy to see her.  
  
"So what made you think there was anything between me and Boomer?" Blossom asked curiously as she munched on a carrot from her plate.  
  
"Oh please, he was practically drooling on you during that game earlier." Princess smirked and hugged Boomer tighter to her. He didn't even try to move away from her and did look very much like a stuffed doll at the moment. "He obviously just forgot about me so I came to remind him."  
  
"You ever think if he forgot about you then he doesn't like you that way anymore?" Blossom suggested.  
  
"What? HAH! How could he not like me? I'm Princess Morbucks and... well... just look at me." She struck a quick post, holding Boomer cradled in her arms like a little child. Before anyone else could respond Blossoms' and the Rowdyruff Boys' pagers started buzzing insistently against their sides.  
  
"Whoa, we're needed guys, let's get going." Blossom said as she floated up from the table. Brick floated up to join her quickly. He was still growing the beard he'd acquired since all attempts to shave it off had failed. He broke every razor he'd tried. Boomer started to float up away from Princess, but she held him tightly.  
  
"Come on, I have to go save the day." Boomer argued firmly.  
  
"I just got here and I'm not letting you go right now." Princess replied, holding onto his waist tightly.  
  
"I say bring her, maybe she'll get killed again and be out of our hair." Brick suggested with a slight smirk.  
  
"Don't worry, we've got her." Buttercup said as she and Bubbles floated up to each grab one of Princess' arms and drag her away from Boomer. "You guys just go ahead.  
  
"Hey! What are you doing! Let me go this instant!" Princess shouted angrily as she watched Boomer float after Blossom and his brother. "You can't do this to me! I'm..."  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah, enough already." Buttercup grumbled as they set her back down in her seat angrily.  
  
Blossom streaked out of the house quickly, followed closely by Boomer and Brick. Why could nothing ever be easy for them? Princess showing up was the last thing they needed right now...  
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Butch ran through the night as quickly as he could, dodging past people in his desperate attempts to escape his pursuer. The shadow kept right at his heels however, throwing aside anything that got in its way like it was nothing. Its cloak flowed around its almost nonexistent figure in a random wave of shadows as it hovered through the air easily.  
  
He didn't know why this thing was after him, but it was obviously intent on its objective like nothing he'd ever seen before. It didn't swerve or hesitate once, just cutting a beeline right for Butch no matter where he tried to go. He was already getting tired and wasn't sure how long he could keep this up.  
  
He stumbled suddenly, flying face first to the hard pavement of the sidewalk and whirling onto his back quickly. He crawled backward along the cold sidewalk as the creature approached him. Underneath the thick black hood he could see the pulsing red eyes lighting up a pale white skull with a crimson hue.  
  
"Hold on!" Just before the creature reached him Boomer streaked right past and grabbed Butch, hauling him a ways up the street away from the thing where the others were all waiting.  
  
"What is that thing? Why was it after you?" Blossom asked quickly.  
  
"Something I doubt any of you can handle physically." They all whirled to see an older boy watching them intently. His eyes seemed to glow somewhat with a rainbow colored light that lit up the darkness immediately around his head.  
  
"Derain?" Boomer said curiously staring at him. "What are you doing here?" He asked.  
  
"Looking for a way to fix a problem your girlfriend caused." Derain replied as he walked up to watch the shadowy form floating toward them slowly, menacingly.  
  
"You mean Princess?" Boomer asked, only sounding a little bit surprised. It really wasn't all that shocking that she would be the one to unleash a monster on Townsville. "What did she do exactly?"  
  
"Snuck out of Eternity with my key and left the gate wide open behind her. Our friend here came back to look for her... though not her specifically. He's actually hunting for one who doesn't belong here." Derain informed everyone else calmly.  
  
"So let's just give him Princess, she shouldn't be here anyway." Boomer suggested simply.  
  
"We can't just hand her over no matter how annoying she is, she needs our help and it's our duty to help those in need." Blossom pointed out, though she too looked tempted to just throw the brat to the wolves. "There has to be some way to get rid of this thing before it levels Townsville."  
  
"Give it one who doesn't belong here... who SHOULD have died had man not intervened. Surely there's someone." Derain told them.  
  
"I don't think... so...?" Blossom and Boomer looked over at Butch as he stared down at the creature thoughtfully.  
  
"Me... I can go." He said softly. His brothers laughed shortly, not wanting to believe it. "I'm serious, the only reason I'm here is because of Professor Tuyoma... this isn't even my real body. I can go and save Townsville.  
  
Brick flew around in front of him angrily. "Forget it! You're not throwing your life away!"  
  
"Yeah that's right, that's just crazy talk!" Boomer added insistently.  
  
"Come on guys... I'm already dead." Butch replied softly. "I'm not even a Rowdyruff Boy... it's what I was created to be. Without that I'm just a worthless punk who... just does everything he can to try and be happy... fit in a little bit. Without my powers I'm worthless, I can even be a normal person because of the way I look..." He looked down at his still fingerless hands despairingly.  
  
"Dude stop it!" Brick shouted worriedly. "We'll find a way to take him out without giving up anybody!"  
  
"Please guys... let me do this." Butch practically begged them seriously, staring Blossom, Boomer and Brick down in turn. "Let me save the day again... one more time. It's what I live for..." He whispered almost under his breath. The others' hypersensitive hearing picked up the barely audible mumble perfectly though.  
  
The others all just stared at him steadily for a few minutes before they finally moved away from him, staring at him sadly. He nodded back at them gratefully before turning and walking slowly toward the dark figure. Nobody said anything as he left them again after returning only a few moments before. This time though, they knew he would never come back. The strain of living under their shadow had put more pressure on him than any of the others had suspected, and now he was going to end it all...  
  
He didn't make any sound, or feel anything but the old familiar adrenaline rush as he approached the physical embodiment of Death itself. It was a strange sensation walking headlong into your own end, like he had not a care in the world, and with this one act he could do what he was born to do. Townsville would be saved, for the last time thanks to Butch.  
  
As he approached the shadow turned to look down at him, ceasing its relentless assault on the citizens and passersby. "You want someone to take back with you... Take me. I need to go... I should have gone." Butch held his arms out to the side and waited to be taken with eager anticipation.  
  
He breathed heavily as he watched the shadow hovering right in front of him. The dark figure towered over him easily. The dark voluminous robes scraped against the ground heavily, though they almost looked weightless. He didn't flinch a muscle as one cloaked arm reached toward him, a skeletal hand reaching out from the shadows of the robes. He didn't allow himself any second thoughts before the hand came close enough to touch his forehead gently.  
  
He had expected to feel pain or at the very least feel disoriented, but he felt fine as he stared up into the glowing red eyes. Slowly he turned around to see his own lifeless body falling to the ground at his feet. He watched as his brothers and blossom streaked forward in a panic to check on his still form, now pale white and probably cold to the touch.  
  
"Butch..." He heard Brick whisper under his breath as he slowly looked up at the dark figure still hovering over them. Slowly he turned and floated away, taking Butch to the place he belonged. If he couldn't be a hero here on Earth, maybe he could be one wherever he was being taken...  
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Blossom just stared down at Butch's lifeless gaze peering up into the sky. Slowly she raised one shaking hand to reach out and close those eyes gently. She couldn't believe it, her entire world was shaken. She'd been faced with this kind of thing countless times before, the prospect of one of the ruffs or puffs dying. This was different though, this was up close and he wasn't even a Rowdyruff Boy... which was the very reason he'd wanted to do it...  
  
"Well this has been entertaining." Derain said with a smirk as he watched Death leave, heading back to the gate that would take him back to the afterlife. "But my time here is at an end."  
  
"At least he'll be happier there than he has been here..." Boomer muttered with a small sigh as the Prince of Eternity turned to leave. He knew what was waiting for his brother, and he knew that he would be happy there.  
  
"Butch for Princess... man did we get a raw deal..." Blossom tried to crack a joke to ease the tension. It was her job as leader to make sure nobody got TOO depressed, they could be needed at a moments notice. It wouldn't do to have them all too under the weather to fight.  
  
"It is for Butch, trust me." Boomer replied as he stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets nervously.  
  
"I do." Blossom nodded as she turned to look down the street aimlessly.  
  
"I'll call the hospital to come pick him up..." Brick said softly. He could have just flown his brother, but it was obvious he didn't really like the idea of carrying him anywhere.  
  
"You guys go home, I'll take care of this." Blossom said gently. She knew it would be harder on the boys since Butch had been their brother, though she was hardly unaffected by this. In many ways she felt very much responsible for Butch's fate, she WAS the leader of the Powerpuffs after all. She should have been looking out for him, seen the signs that all of this was happening to him... but instead she just let it go on. In the end... Butch paid the price for her inattentiveness...  
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Jessica sniffled and wiped at her eyes fiercely as she stood in the center of the small Townsville cemetery. The Mayor had wanted to bury him amid the rest of the graves, but Blossom had insisted on putting him at the very top of the hill that was reserved for Townsvilles greatest achievers. It helped Jessica immensely to know he was being remembered as the Rowdyruff Boy he should have been instead of the careless bum he'd become...  
  
The entire crowd was silent as Butch's casket was slowly lowered into the ground. There was nothing anybody could say or think as he was lowered. After his death everything about his recent life had become an open book for everyone to read. Tales told by Jessica, and many other girls revealed the extent of everything he'd become. An often drunken stoner, he hadn't cared about anybody, any girls he wooed with the fact that he was a superhero.  
  
Even with his off the wall lifestyle toward the end Jessica and his siblings were all sad to see him go. The Rowdyruff Boys because he was their brother. The Powerpuff Girls because he had been one of them once. Jessica because... truth be told... she'd never stopped loving him. He'd just stopped having emotions after such a long time of living side by side with his siblings and never being able to join them. It'd driven him nearly insane...  
  
"We are gathered here today to bid farewell to one of our cities protectors." The priest at the head of the grave said solemnly. "He lived his early life upholding everything we love, and protecting everything we hold dear. Even though circumstances brought him crashing down in a spiral... we shall never forget the battles he fought, the people he saved, or the sacrifices he made." He looked down solemnly as he spoke these last few words. "May he be treated in the afterlife not as the confused, bewildered, careless boy he became... but as the mighty defender of justice that he was born to be before it was so brutally taken away. Amen."  
  
"Amen." Everyone else repeated as two men walked over with shovels to slowly begin filling in the grave. Jessica just stood fast and watched as they worked, keeping her hands clenched tightly behind her back. She jumped in surprise when she felt a hand touch her shoulder from behind. She turned slowly to see Blossom giving her a sad smile.  
  
"How are you doing?" Blossom asked with a concerned inflection in her voice.  
  
"Oh I'm... well enough I suppose." Jessica dabbed one of her eyes as she replied.  
  
"It'll be okay..." Blossom said softly before she cleared her voice and brought her other arm around front. "I think Butch would have wanted you to have this..." She said as she pushed a green belt toward Jessica. The bigger girl took it slowly. It was his karate belt, she'd always thought it was ironic he'd only made it up to green. He'd quit soon after he'd gotten it though, and soon after that he'd started to become more detached...  
  
"Thank you..." Jessica whispered as she held the belt to her chest. "I'll keep it safe..."  
  
Blossom smiled up at her and patted her shoulder one more time before floating off to find someone else to comfort. It must have been hard having to keep a confident front no matter what was happening, but Blossom always seemed to be stronger than anyone else in Townsville. She only wished she could be half as strong.  
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It wasn't until well past midnight that night when Blossom finally snuck out to the living room and let her own emotions out. She had to stay strong when everyone else needed her, it was only well into the night when she could safely let her walls down and vent her own feelings out.  
  
She just lay on the couch, crying into one of the arm cushions quite loudly with her shoulders shuddering violently. She blamed herself for all of it, for not noticing... but most of all... for not really caring. She'd noticed strange behavior and absences several times but she'd never thought to really look into it. She'd always passed it off as him blowing off steam...  
  
She looked up behind her when a hand started rubbing her back gently through the thin pink nightgown. Boomer was looking down at her with a slight smile on his face. "Wh... Why are you up?" She asked, trying to compose herself a bit.  
  
"I know you too well to not realize you'd keep it all in until you were alone..." Boomer told her as he sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug. She didn't resist, just resting her cheek against his shoulder and holding onto him. "I don't think you need to be alone though... none of us do..." He said gently, running one hand through the crimson strands of hair that ran down her back.  
  
She just let him hold onto her, sinking into his firm embrace. She didn't really like him romantically, but this really was nice. The times when they were alone were the only times she felt safe these days, like she didn't have to keep her walls up anymore... only he was allowed to see her as she really was...  
  
"Hey!" Boomer exclaimed when he was suddenly pulled away from Blossom from behind. She fell froward onto the couch, confused and bewildered as she looked up to see what had happened. Princess was holding Boomer tightly to her, glaring at Blossom rudely.  
  
"You don't touch MY boyfriend!" Princess demanded as she turned to carry him toward the stairs.  
  
"Princess really now is NOT a good time to get jealous..." Boomer argued vainly as he watched himself get carried away.  
  
"You are not seeing that slut, you hear?" Princess reminded him firmly. Blossom just stared at them over the back of the couch, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and exposed. She tried to tell herself it was alright, she was his girlfriend and had a right to be protective, Blossom didn't like him like that... still she felt tears come to her eyes as they vanished up the stairs. She now realized she depended on him for support more than anyone else. Romantic or not she needed him... without him she would have a nervous breakdown in no time.  
  
Now even he wasn't here... Princess wouldn't let them be alone again... she lost him. She lost... who she now realized might quite possibly be... her soul mate. She needed him. She had to find a way to get him back, no matter what...  
  
THE END 


	5. 304- Pleasant Dreams

304- Pleasant Dreams  
  
  
Boomer sighed inwardly as he lied in his bed late at night, staring up at the ceiling. He'd been trying to sort everything out in his own mind since he'd laid down over two hours ago. Brick was already snoring lightly beside him. He was trying to figure out just what he should do about Princess. He supposed he was still obligate to her and stuff, but he didn't like her that way anymore. Sure he had once in Eternity, but spending time here with Blossom seemed much more fulfilling to him...  
  
He looked over at the door curiously when he heard it creek open to admit someone into his room. He watched curiously as Blossom floated up to the side of the bed, looking down at him with those wet, tear-streaked eyes that always made him melt.  
  
"Are you alright?" He sat up in bed as he spoke in a soft whisper. She didn't reply, just sitting down beside him and wrapping her arms around him gently. He just slowly put his arms around her, a bit confused as to the purpose of this. Sure she came to him when she had a problem and he comforted her, but this didn't feel the same as all that.  
  
"Boomer I'm sorry..." Blossom whispered before she kissed him gently on the lips. "I need you." She said as she pushed him back on the bed, not taking her lips away from his again for even a moment.  
  
Boomer opened his eyes quickly, breathing erratically and sweating a bit as he stared up at the ceiling. Blossom was gone... but he could feel something else in the bed with him. He gave a small sigh as he sat up irritably. He hated this, he couldn't wait until this 'puberty' age was over. Miss Keane had told them all about it, but he still didn't like it. It was annoying as hell. That had been such a nice dream too... he wished he could have slept a little longer. He needed to get changed now though.  
  
He shook his head as he dug through his dresser before heading to the bathroom to change. Brick never seemed to have any trouble with this, though he had Buttercup of course. That probably made a bit of a difference. He did have Princess but... he didn't want her. He sighed again helplessly, what on earth could he do?  
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"So... Good dreams make them want to stay asleep..." A voice said from somewhere far beneath the bed of the Rowdyruff Boys. This was the land of nightmares and figments where creatures existed to terrify any kind of being on the planet. Their leader stroked his chin thoughtfully as he watched the blue boy going about cleaning himself up. He hadn't tried to take over the upper world again after that first battle with those accursed girls... but maybe he could do it if he didn't have to fight them...  
  
The Boogieman gave himself a triumphant grin as he turned to head deeper into his domain. He was a cautious sort of creature, carefully making sure everything would pan out as it was supposed to before making any moves. For this long those girls had been a wildcard he couldn't contend with but now... he had another plan.  
  
All he needed was to pay a visit to an old man and he could put his grandest plan yet into action. He knew the Sandman had tried before, but one flaw kept it from working. A flaw he intended to fix and make the entire human race sleep forever while he and his followers partied the night away like there was no tomorrow... because there wouldn't be.  
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Blossom floated into the dining room tiredly. Nobody else had the heart to tell her, but she was looking worse and worse by the day. It was like the pressures of life were weighing more heavily every day. Boomer definitely noticed, but Princess always dragged him away whenever he tried to help her out. It was a dead end for both of them, and Princess Morbucks was acting as the wall. He'd sworn to follow her a long time ago, and Rowdyruff's didn't go against their word for any reason...  
  
Nobody said a word as she floated over to her place where Miss Keane had already set out a plate of eggs and bacon for breakfast. She sat down and started shoveling the food into her mouth without a word. Everyone else exchanged a worried glance, but in a moment they just went back to concentrating on their own food.  
  
"So kids... what is everyone doing today?" Miss Keane asked brightly to try and cheer them up. Princess had been forced to move in with them with her father in jail. It was that or send her to an orphanage, which had never REALLY been an option anyway.  
  
"I was going to go spend the day at Eli's." Bubbles volunteered brightly.  
  
"We were thinking of catching a movie." Buttercup said as she looked over at Brick right beside her. His face was clean-shaven again, but a bit burned here and there. They hadn't been able to cut the stubble off, so Buttercup has used her heat vision to burn it away. He'd complained a bit, but she figured with practice she'd get better and they wouldn't have any trouble.  
  
"We were going to go to the mall and do some shopping." Princess said as she put one arm around Boomer protectively. He just sighed and rolled his eyes. He hated shopping.  
  
"Well that's nice, how about you Blossom?" Miss Keane asked kindly as she looked across the table at the pink powerpuff. She didn't respond though, just staring down at her food blankly. "Um... Blossom, are you alright honey?"  
  
"Huh?" Blossom looked up a bit startled. She had dark circles under her eyes like she hadn't slept in awhile. "Oh no I'm fine, I was just gonna... kinda hang out around the house if you don't mind."  
  
"No of course not..." Miss Keane said softly, though she had a worried frown on her face. She had been worried at first that Butch's death might have a big impact on the others. Oddly it hadn't been too rough on them. They just said Butch was happier, especially Boomer. Blossom though seemed to be getting more depressed by the day. She had to do something about this...  
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The door to the Sandmans workplace was thrown open suddenly as the Boogieman made his confident way inside. He knew the old coot, they clashed often when his monsters interrupted the sleep of the humans. He twirled his cane calmly as he strolled over to where the old man was working on the console attached to the wall.  
  
"Hey old man, been awhile. What's been shakin'?" The horned monster asked with a sly grin as he walked up beside the almost wizard-like man.  
  
"Besides my old bones?" The Sandman replied as he cast a cautious look up at the much taller creature. "What are you doing here?" He didn't beat around the bush at all.  
  
"I just have a deal, that's all." The Boogieman said as disarmingly as he possibly could. "I know you've been wanting a small break, and I could give it to you." He said. "Just put everyone to sleep."  
  
"I tried that already, it didn't work." The Sandman grumped irritably.  
  
"Ah but the Boogieman sees the flaw you couldn't." The monster replied as he put one hand on the older mans shoulder companionably, gesturing grandly in front of him. "You put them to sleep, but they wanted to awaken. All you have to do is feed them what they want. Make them happy and they'll be putty in your hands." He said convincingly.  
  
"Hmm..." The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully for a few moments. "It could work... maybe for a little while..."  
  
"Yes... Now come on, I'll take care of everything." The Boogieman led the very sleepy man back over to his bed to lay him down. He let a small grin creep over his face as he walked back over to the equipment that controlled sleep and dreams. "Let the Boogieman cometh..." He muttered triumphantly as he hit the killswitch to send every person on the planet plumetting into sleepland. A moment later he reached over to pump up the positive flow to maximum, sending them all into heaven itself if there was such a thing. Now all he had to do was wait until night and he could lead his creatures to take over the world.  
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Bubbles sat on the porch of her cabin right outside the city peacefully, staring out at the very beautiful flower garden she had growing. She just let the calmness sooth her comfortably, staring up at the bright blue sky. She didn't have a care in the world out here, she was perfectly content... But how had she gotten here? She didn't remember anything, what was going on here?  
  
She jumped up quickly and whirled around to look inside when she heard a high-pitched wail coming from inside somewhere. She crept inside the cabin warily, looking for any signs of anybody. There were lots of pictures hanging on the walls, some she recognized as ones she'd done. Others she didn't recognize, but they looked like hers.  
  
She moved past the front hallways into the living room and stopped dead in her tracks. She just stared in surprise at the source of the wailing... a bassinet set up in the center of the room. She walked toward it slowly, peeping over the side to see what was in it. A small baby stared back up at her with wide, wet eyes.  
  
"A... Baby...?" She whispered in awe as she reached into the bassinet to pull the baby into her arms. "Well hello there." She told the little thing as she raised one arm to gently rub the child's cheek, almost like she was convincing herself that it was real. It gave a small yawn and grabbed her hand with one tiny fist, still staring up at her intently.  
  
Finally the shock of this discovery began to wear off and a smile slowly spread across her face until she finally leapt from the ground, hovering in the air happily with the baby pressed against her chest gently. "I have a baby! A baby of my own!" She laughed happily as she grinned down at the thing. It laughed innocently and batted its little fists, only making her grin even more. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she wasn't complaining.  
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Brick blinked and looked around in confusion as he found himself standing at the front of an aisle in a church. A giant crucifix hung above him and a preacher was waiting behind the podium for something. He looked around toward the seating to see a whole crowd of people waiting patiently, just staring at him with heartfelt gazes that never erred or strayed from him. He was starting to get a bit nervous and confused, this was just weird. Then he looked down and noticed he was wearing a small black tuxedo...  
  
He jumped into the air slightly when he heard an organ begin playing from a corner of the room. It played a very peculiar, yet always familiar tune that sent his head spinning even more with questions. They were all answered in a few moments however when he looked down the aisle and saw Buttercup slowly walking down it toward him. She was wearing a flowing white sleeveless gown that dragged along the carpet behind her. The thin white veil barely concealed her emerald green eyes, staring right back at him. She looked as confused as he did, but like him she wasn't complaining.  
  
In a few moments she reached the head of the isle and looked over at him with the same look of confusion he was undoubtedly wearing. Before either of them could say anything though the pastor spoke. "We are here today to join Buttercup Utonium and Brick Keane in holy matrimony." He said firmly. Both of the kids gasped slightly in confusion, but they still didn't say anything. "Brick Keane, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"  
  
Brick just stared at him blankly for a minute before looking back down at Buttercup. "Oh I... I do... I guess..." He mumbled confusedly. He had no clue what was going on and was naturally cautious, but if this was a trap of some kind it sure was a weird one.  
  
"Buttercup Utonium, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?" The pastor asked as he turned toward Buttercup.  
  
"I do." Buttercup replied immediately. Obviously she wasn't at all shy about this and embraced it while she could.  
  
"Please place the rings on each others fingers." The pastor said firmly. They both searched themselves for a moment before they found a pair of hoops. The one for Brick was just that, a brick-like diamond on the golden hoop. Buttercups hoop consisted of two diamonds in the shape of boxing gloves. They quickly put the hoops on each others arms, not having any fingers. "Then by the power vested in me by the city of Townsville, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
  
Brick found he was getting more into it as he moved Buttercups veil aside and leaned in to kiss her lovingly. She returned the kiss more vigorously than he'd thought. This was all very strange... but he wasn't complaining in the slightest. Marrying the girl he loved? Hardly an evil plot worth making up.  
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Blossom sat in the darkness of her thoughts sadly, looking around at the utter emptiness that surrounded her. Why did she have to be alone now, she didn't want to be alone. She needed somebody to be here with her, why couldn't anybody be... why couldn't he be here? She buried her head in her arms sadly and just let the dark loneliness hold onto her in its cold embrace.  
  
Finally though she felt a hand touch her shoulder ever so gently. She looked up to see Boomer sitting on the invisible ground right beside her, smiling at her in that way that always let her know she wasn't ever alone. Quickly she reached out and pulled him into a fierce hug before he could be ripped away from her again. She didn't want him to go anywhere, she needed his support too much to let him go for any reason.  
  
"It's alright... I'm right here for you Blossom..." He whispered into her ear as he wrapped his own arms firmly around her. She buried her face in his neck as much as she could, just wanting to hide away from the world with him... away from everything and everyone... right here alone... where they were...  
  
She felt him gently kissing the side of her neck before she could think to question that she was right where she wanted to be. She'd never thought about anything like this before, but he was so safe and she needed him. He could help her like nobody else could, he could support her in ways the others had never come close to doing.  
  
She just held him tightly to her as she was pushed to her back in the darkness with him still lovingly running his hands along her back and kissing her neck gently. She closed her eyes and held onto him firmly with a grip that nobody would ever have been able to break. This felt safe and wonderful, he was here for her like he'd never been for her... and it felt like he'd always be here.  
  
Her mind spun in a wave of happiness and love as she felt him kissing her, and loving her in ways she'd never considered before. Their bodies mingled together and moved as one as though they were of the same mind, their flesh melded together warmly. She didn't know when they'd become unclothed, but it didn't matter. He was so safe and warm, nobody could hurt her like this.  
  
All of her worries, fears and doubts finally melted away into the darkness around them as Boomer protected her with his own body. He sent feelings running through her that would ward off even the strongest worry. She could only cling to him with her arms and legs, feeling him pushing his protective wave through her, warding off all pain and fear, all responsibilities. It was only them now.  
  
Finally after an unknowable amount of time she felt herself release all of the pent up emotions she'd built from so long keeping to herself. All the feelings and hardships came rushing to the surface to bubble out of her in the form of a scream that echoed endlessly in the darkness. It wasn't a scream of pain though, but of release and contentment, almost of celebration.  
  
As the scream finally died down she descended from the unreachable heights to land squarely in Boomers arms again, held tightly to him by his firm but gentle grip. She was panting softly as she looked down at him resting on top of her with a spent look on his face. She smiled and ran one hand along his cheek lovingly. She knew she'd never be able to live without his support again, he was too important. Without him she was a nervous wreck ready to collapse at a moments notice... most of all she found she loved him. She needed him to function in every possible way now... and she wouldn't have had it any other way.  
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As the sun went down the monsters of the underworld made their way up to survey the situation. There was no movement, nobody was left awake and nobody was doing anything to stop them. The Boogieman watched as his minions scoured the place, already beginning to pull the rest of his plan together. Dispose of the humans that infest this place, it's THEIR turn to take over everything they desire.  
  
"Come on my creatures of the night! Finally we can get rid of the humans and take over!" He proclaimed proudly from the top of a nearby building. The rest of the nighttime creatures gave a howl as he twirled his cane fancily. "Now let's round up every human in this city!" He ordered as he slammed his cane into a stereo beside him. It started to play a dark, but fast tune as the creatures turned to eagerly hunt for the sleeping citizens of Townsville.  
  
"Grab them all, don't miss any now!" He shouted encouragingly as he twirled his cane and laughed, watching as the others began making a pile of limp human bodies on the ground in front of the building he was standing on. He just basked in the glory he would bring to himself in his troops. With all of the humans in their peaceful happy slumber, who could stand against them?  
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[Come on kid, wake up!] The dark voice echoed in the mind of the boy who was sleeping soundly despite her best efforts. Normally she could have broken through into his dreams easily, but these were different. These dreams were so intense they practically acted as walls to keep her out. She was beginning to grow worried here, she didn't want anything to happen to this boy. She had been his mother since she'd found him.  
  
"I said wake up damn you!" Mange tried again, this time speaking aloud. It was in vain though, nothing she did could snap him out of this. It almost seemed like a coma as far as she could see, but there had been nothing wrong with him just a little while ago... there was no reason for it...  
  
She whirled around in surprise when she heard the door to their small hideout open up. An almost catlike creature stalked in through the door, eyeing the shadow carefully. "You're not one of ours, are you?" It asked curiously.  
  
"Actually... yes I am." Mange replied cautiously. She was normally one for a good fight, but she didn't want to risk her 'son' getting hit by a stray attack.  
  
"Ah, good. You can carry these dead weights back to the man for me." The other creature dropped several sleeping people on the ground in front of her. "Vermin are getting me dirty, filthy little things." It shuddered with contempt.  
  
"The man... right. Where is he again?" Mange narrowed he eyes as she studied the thing. It looked like something out of a nightmare or a kids worst fantasies...  
  
"The town square, where else?" The creature replied with a slight shrug as he stood up on its hind legs to stretch its back out. "I've got to take a rest, humans are heavier than they look..." With that it turned to stalk out of the building silently.  
  
Mange looked curiously down at the pile of bodies left on her floor. Obviously her kid wasn't the only one affected by this sleep. Probably the only reason the shadow herself wasn't affected was because she was pure energy, not really alive at all in any normal sense of the word. Still the question remained, how did they do this? Only one way to find out.  
  
Carefully she wrapped her dark tendrils around the boy and held him close to her back as she took off out into the street. She didn't care about the other people the creature had dumped, she just wanted to make sure nobody got to him if she could possibly help it.  
  
In only a few moments she reached the town square and looked around quickly. Monsters of all kinds and shapes were milling about, making a huge pile of human bodied just in front of the city hall. There on top of the building stood the Boogieman himself. She recognized him from Buttercups memories.  
  
"Let's round up those humans so we can get this show on the road!" He shouted as he pulled a pack of matches from his white disco jacket. "Bonfiah!"  
  
"So you're the one responsible for this... but how? You don't have the power to put everyone to sleep..." Mange mused to herself as she slowly walked out toward the city hall. She could recognize him, but he probably wouldn't recognize her. She walked up to the edge of the pile, making sure her dark shroud kept her boy concealed from sight.  
  
"Hey, who're you!?" the Boogieman demanded when he saw her. "I know all my minions and you're not one of them!" Several monsters whirled on her to glare at her balefully. She narrowed her eyes and just stared back up at him, hoping she didn't have to fight.  
  
"Maybe I just didn't want you to see me..." She replied cautiously. She looked up at the Boogieman, but she made sure to know where the others were at all times. "I'm a newcomer, I was just wondering if I could be of any service... perhaps to make sure whatever's keeping these people asleep keeps working..."  
  
The Boogieman let out a stark laugh and pushed himself to his feet again, idly twirling his cane beside him. "What kind of a fool do you think I am little lady? Give away the secret of my plans, not this time." He said confidently. "Get her!" He shouted to the others suddenly.  
  
Mange leapt into the air before the crowd of monsters could swamp her, shooting one tendril out to grab one of city halls pillars and swing toward it. In a moment she started scaling it easily, dozens of tendrils walking her up the oval like a spider. Several monsters flung weapons and even human bodies at her, but she dodged them and continued her ascent until she reached the top, facing the man himself.  
  
"Not bad for a newcomer. Who do you think you are, Batman?" The Boogieman asked as he calmly whirled his cane around. Suddenly he flipped the top and pressed a button. The rod unfolded outward from each end toward the middle, revealing a blade sticking out of each end with a handle in the middle he could hold it by.  
  
"You'll wish I was when I get through with you." Mange replied as one long tendril of darkness stuck out from her hand, glinting sharply in the light of the moon far overhead. "He doesn't kill people." She said firmly. She wasn't really sure about this though, she was still holding the kid and he might not only slow her down, but get hurt too.  
  
"No, I do." The Boogieman told her just before he lunged forward, whirling his blade toward her. She parried it easily with her own blade and made a return thrust, which was blocked on the back swing by his second blade. He didn't let up for an instant, pressing down on her as she was hampered by keeping the child concealed and trying to keep an eye on the monster down below lest they try something.  
  
Another few minutes later and the blade of the can plunged right through her darkness, coming right out the other side. She felt no pain of course, but it did weaken her by disrupting her energy flow. Before she could respond he thrust the blade vertically, slicing her upper body right in half and sending her charge flying down to the waiting monsters far below.  
  
Mange grunted as she fell to the ceiling of the building wearily. The energy that made up her body was sent reeling by the sudden and violent severing of the strands themselves. As she rested she slowly began to meld herself, but the Boogieman walks over to stand above her with a grin of triumph on his face.  
  
"Well well, a human kid. I guess this REALLY means you're not one of us." He said with a wry smirk as he looked down at his minions. "Put the boy in the pile, we can burn him with the rest." He shot the still recovering Mange a sideways glance as the monsters complied. "As for you, this world is ours, you don't have a place in it." He said as he raised one blade to her throat.  
  
Mange just glared up at him as her body finished reforming finally, making her whole again though still weak. "You can have the world for all I care... but I won't let your hurt him." One tendril shot out to wrap around The Boogiemans legs, sending him to the roof heavily. She got up and quickly pressed one dark blade to his throat.  
  
"Tell them to let my..." She didn't even have time to finish her sentence as something slammed into her behind, sending her flying to the edge of the building where the rest of the monsters were waiting far below. She pushed herself to her hands and knees and looked back to see several winged monsters glaring at her hatefully.  
  
"Nothing can stop us now! Thanks to that old coots gullibility, this world is OURS. Ain't NOBODY can take it from us now!" The Boogieman said firmly.  
  
"Old man..." Mange muttered to herself thoughtfully. She... or rather Buttercup... only remembered one old man who could do this. "The Sandman! Of course..." She pushed herself to her feet sprouting a pair of pitch black wings. The only way she could hope to save the boy was to wake up Townsville and get help from those she hoped to destroy...  
  
"Destroy her!" The Boogieman ordered the winged monsters surrounding him. They all took off with hideous screeches, heading right toward her. Mange whirled and took off as well using her own wings, trying to remember where the Sandman's lair was.  
  
She yowled in surprise when one of the creatures came up from under her, slashing hr across the chest and gripping her shoulder tightly with its claws. It let out a shriek of triumph as it tried to yank her out of the air, but one sharp spike jammed through its chest, sending it to the ground far below limply.  
  
Finally she got the image firmly in her mind and whirled on the rest of her pursuers. "I'll be back to take you all down!" She shouted angrily before her dark form vanished into the night surrounding them.  
  
She flung her body through the shadows as quickly as she could, eventually emerging in the lair of the Sandman. She saw the old timer asleep on his bed, probably happy as hell to finally be able to sleep. She was surprised the old coot hadn't entered his permanent sleep yet to be quite honest, he had to be older than any living thing.  
  
She walked quickly over to the console and studied it carefully. There were only a few switches and levers here and there, one of which was pulled all the way down labeled 'sleep intensifier'. She gripped it with one hand and pushed it up... but nothing changed on the monitors. Everyone was still asleep. She pulled it a few more times but still nothing happened. Nobody wanted to wake up... even when the sleep's not enforced they didn't want to leave their dreams.  
  
"Damnit..." She grumbled darkly, looking over at a few other nozzles. What was she supposed to do now? She had to wake up the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys to help her take care of the monsters. If she didn't everyone in Townsville would go up in flames, including her 'son'...  
  
Well now that the device that was intensifying their dreams was de-activated she should be able to enter their dreams and wake them up one at a time. The only problem would be convincing them to leave this paradise they'd been locked into...  
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Bubbles smiled happily to herself as she walked through the flower garden she had apparently planted in the back yard. She had her daughter pressed up against her chest firmly as she just let herself take everything in. The smell of the flowers, the gentle cooing noises made by her child, the feel of the wind blowing through her ponytails and small blue dress.  
  
"Having fun?" A voice said from behind her with an ironic tone in it. She whirled around quickly to see a shadow watching her carefully from near the house. Mange...  
  
"What are you doing here?" Bubbles demanded, clutching her daughter to her chest protectively and taking a few steps back.  
  
"You have better things to do than take care of that figment. There are more important things to focus on." Mange told her steadily.  
  
"Figment? This is my DAUGHTER and I love her." Bubbles replied sternly.  
  
"This is all a dream Bubbles. Don't make me shock you awake." Mange narrowed her eyes dangerously as she spoke.  
  
"Get away from us!" Bubbles howled just before she whirled to run off through the garden away from the shadow. The flowers barely felt like anything as they brushed against her tights and dress. She clutched her daughter a bit tighter reflexively, hearing her still cooing gently against her chest.  
  
In a moment she found herself engulfed in a dark shadow that was moving around her randomly. She fought to get free, but in only a few moments the child had been ripped from her arms and taken away to the other side of the field. "Diana! Don't hurt her please!" Bubbles practically begged, falling to her knees.  
  
"If this is the only thing that will wake you up..." Mange said calmly as she wrapped several tendrils around the child's body and head. "Then so be it." She said darkly.  
  
"NNNOOOOOOOO!" Bubbles screamed as, with one swift motion, Mange twisted the child's head clean off its body. There was no blood however, and everything seemed to slow down to a crawl as the pieces separated. In a few moments the entire landscape, including the child, began to turn into dust. It all gave way to the darkness as Bubbles felt herself awaken.  
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Bubbles gave a loud scream as she shot upright in Eli's house somewhere in town. She was drenched in a cold sweat and she was shaking furiously. She looked up quickly to see Mange standing over her, staring down at her darkly. "Wh... what's going on..." Bubbles asked in a shakey voice.  
  
"Time to rise and shine kiddo, Townsville's about to become a giant barbecue." Mange told her seriously. "Head to the town square, I'm gonna round up the rest."  
  
"Mange... Wh... I don't understand. Why are you helping and... what was that..." Bubbles put one hand to her head confusedly.  
  
"Don't worry about it blondy, your head would explode." Mange said with a mocking tone of voice. "Just get to the Town Hall and wait for the others." With that she whirled and vanished into the darkness outside once again. She still had two more dreams to interrupt, except it would probably be harder. The Powerpuffs ability to joint dream probably makes the dream that much more satisfying for them...  
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Buttercup didn't really care about much of anything as she and Brick had a bit of wine and dancing at the reception. It was still unbelievable to her how much fun this was, what it was like to know that you'd just given yourself to someone else. Of course he'd given himself to her too, it was a two way street. That was what made this perfect...  
  
She smiled and rested her cheek on her new husbands arm as they danced slowly, keeping their arms around each other. In a few moments though the music came to a screeching halt and everyone just turned to stare at the dark figure who'd just totaled the instruments.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing here!?" Buttercup demanded angrily as she whirled on her former alter ego. "Can't a girl have ONE day of peace?" She demanded.  
  
"Perhaps... this isn't a day however. And there won't be another unless you both listen to me." Mange replied seriously.  
  
"Listen to YOU? Hah, you've dedicated your life to killing us. Why should we believe anything you say? Get out of here and let us be happy!" Brick shouted back just as angrily as his new wife.  
  
"Well at least I'll get to have a bit of fun waking you up. People always wake up when they're about to die in dreams." Mange said as she thrust both of her arms out to her sides. Each one grew in size until it was half again as long as she was tall and extremely sharp.  
  
"You are RUINING this! This is supposed to be a GOOD day!" Buttercup howled as she threw herself toward the shadow. Brick flew right beside her, bringing his fist back as well. Mange whirled in a stream of shadows, completely baffling her two opponents as to just where her main body was. "Show yourself!"  
  
In a few moment Mange recollected herself in front of them, whirling to slam one foot into both of their faces. The blow sent them both hurtling back into the stage, further destroying the instruments set up there.  
  
"Come on, time to get up and get your asses moving." Mange said as she threw herself at them, spreading her shadow out to encompass both of her opponents before they could react. In a few moments she came down, bringing both of her blades to bear right on too of the newlyweds. "No time to WASTE!" She howled as she finished the strike...  
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Buttercup shot straight up in her movie theater seat in a cold sweat. She looked over to see Brick right beside her, with a horribly confused look on his face. "What's going on..." She asked nobody in particular, not really expecting a response.  
  
"Human barbecue, and all of Townsville's invited if you don't put a stop to it." Buttercup whirled the instant she heard Mange's voice from almost right behind her.  
  
"What are you talking about? Wh... what's been going on!?" She demanded. It looked like it was night outside... but they'd only come into the theater a few hours ago right? And it had been only noon then...  
  
"Boogieboy's put everyone to sleep, and is right now getting ready to fry them all." Mange informed her gravely. "He's at the town square if you want to stop him."  
  
"Why do you care about Townsville all of a sudden?" Buttercup asked suspiciously.  
  
"I don't..." Mange replied darkly. "I just have a personal stake in this... nothing more." She whirled away from the two to head up the isle toward the exit.  
  
"Where are you going?" Brick called from behind her.  
  
"Blossom and Boomer are still trapped in their dream, I'm going to free them so we can get rid of these pests once and for all." Mange replied simply, not stopping or turning around as she reached the exit and vanished into the night. Buttercup just stared after her strangely until Brick tapped her on the arm.  
  
"Even if she is a liar... we should investigate." Brick told her seriously. She just gave him a determined nod before they both streaked out of the theater through the roof as fast as they could.  
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Blossom wanted to stay like this forever, right here in the arms of the one person who understood her. The one boy who knew the side of her that she showed nobody else. She didn't dare, she was the leader, she had to keep a strong front. With him it didn't matter, and right here she was safe. Right here curled up in his arms like a kitten with him petting her hair oh so gently. She had no worries... no fears... no doubts...  
  
"What is a leader who does nothing but hide?" Blossom opened her eyes in surprise to see a pair of dark green spots floating in the darkness beside them. "Same as anything else that does nothing but hide, a coward." The shadow narrowed its eyes almost gleefully as it spoke.  
  
"Go away..." Blossom mumbled before she buried her head in Boomer's chest again.  
  
"Why don't you just get out of here?" Boomer demanded angrily, glaring at the shadow.  
  
"And I suppose you don't even care that Townsville is about to meet it's end. Every single citizen is about to be set ablaze in the biggest bonfire in history." Mange told them. "But I suppose it matters not as long as you're happy."  
  
"Just leave us alone..." Blossom retorted almost desperately, though her words were mumbled by Boomer's body.  
  
"Poooor baby Blossom. Too selfish and indulgent to care about the city, or her sisters, who are probably fighting even now." Mange narrowed her eyes sharply. "What a wretched disgrace. All you have to do is wake up and come back to reality to help save the town. After that I don't care what you do."  
  
"I don't want to go back to Townsville... I like it right HERE." Blossom replied firmly.  
  
"Blossom..." Boomer whispered in her ear softly. "Maybe she's right... I love being here with you like this but Townsville... it's just more important." Blossom looked over at him in surprise. "I know we can't trust Mange but if there's a chance it's true... well then we can be together out there instead of in here..." He said softly. "If you'll have me..."  
  
"Boomer... Of course!" Blossom hugged him tightly again, sniffling as she realized things were about to go back to normal. Saving the day, figuring out plans, school, moderating fights... "Maybe I can do it... with help..."  
  
"Always." Boomer replied with a smile. She smiled back and leaned up to kiss him gently as they too faded from the land of their dreams, back into the reality that was never so sure, always so flawed and unpredictable.  
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Buttercup, Bubbles and Brick fought valiantly against insurmountable odds, taking on the monsters of the night with all the speed, strength and courage they could muster. Still sheer numbers were quickly overwhelming them. Past experience had proven that three just wasn't enough to take on these kinds of odds.  
  
"I don't know how you escaped from the dreams Powerpuff Girls, but it doesn't matter. Now that we're all here there's NOTHING you can do to stop us this time." The Boogieman said as he watched the battle down below with something like joy gleaming in his eyes.  
  
"We can sure as hell try!" He whirled as the sound of another voice approaching the fight. Blossom, boomer and a wing-gliding Mange were closing fast on the battlefield. Once they arrived they caught the fighting monsters by surprise, cutting a path through them to the puffs that were already locked in combat.  
  
"Good to see you, we've been getting pummeled." Brick said. Indeed, he was bleeding from the mouth and panting heavily. The two puffs didn't look too much better either.  
  
"It doesn't matter! I said get them! Kill them all!" The Boogieman screamed in a rage, sending his monsters hurling toward them.  
  
"You guys hold off the grunts, Boogieboy's MINE!" Mange leapt from the ranks to glide over to the building again as before, leaving the others to fight the rest of the monsters. She climbed up on the roof to stare him down. He stared back silently, his eyes burning with anger at having his plans interrupted for a second time by nothing more than a shadow.  
  
"Back for a rematch? I'll cut you in half again, then into four pieces, then even more until there's nothing but quivering bits." The Boogieman told her confidently as he again drew his double bladed sword.  
  
"Nobody... touches that kid besides me... and lives." Mange replied darkly, putting one fist forward as a weapon similar to her opponents' appeared from the shadows. She gripped it in both hands as they each took up a combative stance, staring each other down steadily.  
  
The commotion below them was completely frantic and desperate as each puff and ruff tried to hold his own against the wave of creatures. Sometimes they even tried to team up or fight altogether, but still the sheer number of monsters was pressing them down. They couldn't last much longer. Unless Mange got rid of the leader, they were all dead.  
  
Mange made the first move, throwing herself toward the much bigger monster and whirled, bringing the blade around in a wide arc. The Boogieman parried it quickly, whirling to bring the other end slicing into Mange's side. It didn't cut too deeply, but it was enough to send her back away from him on her guard.  
  
Then the Boogieman made the next strike, giving a huge downward blow that would have sliced her in half had it connected. Instead though she ducked to the side, spitting her sword in half to parry the blow with one blade and slicing at his arm with the other. The blow severed the arm cleanly at the elbow, causing the blade, and the attached hand, to fall to the roof uselessly.  
  
"AAGH!" The Boogieman let out an enraged howl as he fell to his knees, clutching the bleeding stump uselessly as Mange walked up to stand over him with both blades poised to strike. At the sound of the creature screaming though the commotion down below stopped and the creatures turned to stare up at the roof curiously. Mange simply ignored them, raising the dark blades above her head.  
  
"WAIT!" Blossom screamed as she and the rest of her team flew up to join Mange on the roof. "Don't kill him!"  
  
"Why the hell not? Tell me there's any reason to keep him around." Mange replied darkly.  
  
"We don't kill, it's wrong. We put them away, or we do whatever we have to do to stop him... but he's stopped you don't have to do it!" Blossom yelled.  
  
"I'll make sure he STAYS stopped!" Mange replied as she raised her blades up a bit higher, preparing to bring them crashing down.  
  
"What about Bricks son?" Buttercup asked quickly. Everyone turned to stare at her in confusion. "Do you REALLY want to find him and hold him with hands stained with blood? Hm? I can still see your mind as well as you can see mine..." She said softly. "You hate US and want US dead... but you still love him, don't you?" Everyone else turned to stare at Mange again, who was just glaring at her counterpart with narrowed eyes.  
  
"You don't know sh*t about me..." Mange said softly, though she did lower the blades. They all looked up curiously to see the sun just beginning to come up over the horizon.  
  
"With the sun comes a new day, and with a new day comes a new experience." Bubbles said brightly, grinning.  
  
"Where did you hear that?" Blossom asked her curiously.  
  
"A movie." Bubbles replied simply. The monsters down below all went scrambling for the darkness where they'd come from while the puffs and ruffs had to carry the Boogieman himself back to his dark hidey-hole.  
  
Mange walked over to the pile of bodies that was still in the middle of the street. Many of the people began to wake when the light of the sun hit their eyes, blinding them sharply. A generally confused grumbling and irritable mumbling filled the air as they, one-by-one, took off toward home again. She searched through the crowd as quickly as she could, eventually seeing her boy just being uncovered in the mass.  
  
She made her way over quickly and knelt down beside him, stroking his cheek with one dark tendril as the sun caused him to stir. [Time to wake up kid...] She told him mentally, glad to be able to do so again. It was then it occurred to her that he'd never seen her like this. She'd always just stayed inside his head and left only when he was asleep.  
  
"Who... angel?" He asked sleepily as he looked up into the pulsing green eyes. "Is that you?" He stared up at her in awe with his mouth hanging open.  
  
"Yeah... it's me. Come on, let's get you home..." She said as she wrapped her essence around him and picked him up off the street. She was suddenly reminded of the day she'd found him, she'd picked him up and held him just like this. She turned to carry him back to her house, but Brick was floating right behind her with his hands jammed into his pockets. "What do you want?" she demanded  
  
"Nothing at all." Brick replied as he shook his head and looked down at the boy cradled in the shadows' essence.  
  
"Don't think this changes anything, I still hate you all." Mange told him firmly before she shoved past him to head toward the place she and her charge shared.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it..." Brick said ironically more to himself than to her as he watched her leave with his son in tow.  
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None of the Townsville citizens had any recollection at all of the previous days' or nights' events. They'd lost almost twenty-four hours for no apparent reason. The Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys knew the reason of course, but they thought it was best that nobody else knew. Telling them would serve no real purpose but to alarm them to a crisis that was already dealt with. So they just went back to their lives as normal... or as normal as they could be after that. Especially for a certain pair of tiny heroes who still had a royal problem to deal with...  
  
Boomer didn't say anything as he floated into the living room of the Keane household where Princess would undoubtedly be waiting for them. He didn't let go of Blossoms hand for a moment when she saw them and marched over angrily.  
  
"What do you think you're doing!?" She demanded incredulously, stalking up to them.  
  
"What I should have done when you first showed up... I'm leaving you." He said firmly. "I love Blossom..." He whispered.  
  
"Nonono! You can't! You're MINE remember?" Princess demanded. To both of their surprise Blossom floated right in front of her face and gave her a huge uppercut to the jaw, sending her flying over the couch across the room to slam into the wall.  
  
"Blossom?" Boomer asked in shock.  
  
"I'm getting tired of listening to her... come on, let's go upstairs..." Blossom said softly. Boomer stared at her for a few moments before smiling slightly and nodding. She never had gotten to have that talk after the last time. Now they would have all the time in the world that she needed. Princess wouldn't try to bug them again after a blow like that. Things were different now... but still the same. It was an odd feeling, but not one he would call unpleasant by any means. He liked being there to help her, and now he could be. As much as she needed him.  
  
THE END 


	6. 305- Kiss Of The Faeri

Silence prevailed in the hospital room over all, as it had for nearly an entire decade. It seemed as if nothing could break through the barrier that had been risen over this girl so many years ago. Somewhere deep in her pain-wracked mind she could still feel what was happening to her, after so long her mind was slowly wandering, but it was still trapped. She could not move, she could not speak. Only pain was really real to her.  
  
Whenever she managed to focus, she could only remember the instant in her life when this had happened to her. She could still feel him holding her to the table in that warehouse... she could still feel him inside of her. So she tried not to feel, to block it all out. Even the now seventeen year old boy who sat by her side for much of every day couldn't break through to her. She could only scream in silent torture, her cries echoing across some unknown plane of being...  
  
Little did she know that she would be answered.  
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305- Kiss of the Faeri  
  
  
Kenny Deraln didn't get challenged by anybody in the hospital as he made his silent way to Angelica's room. They knew him well enough after all these years to where he didn't need to even speak. He was allowed in almost any time, and nobody ever questioned him. Nobody else even knew why he came... truth was even he didn't know. He didn't even know why he was still in this hellhole called a town.  
  
He let out a small sigh as he pushed the hotel door open and went into Angelica's room. Angelica Barbrady, the daughter of South Parks former policeman. She had white and black striped hair, but the rest of her was hidden under the sheets. She lay on the bed silently as always, never moving, barely even breathing. She'd been like this for the last nine years of his life... ever since that incident. He shook his head as he sat down on the chair he kept by her bed at all times. He didn't understand how parents could be so torturous, he himself had felt how bad they could be...  
  
"Ready to come back to us yet?" He asked with a small smile as he did every day when he first came in. He didn't know what he expected, some kind of movement, maybe assurance that she would wake up someday. It never came though, it was always the same. "Aw well... maybe tomorrow." He told her as he reached over to pat her hand gently.  
  
He looked up curiously as he saw something shimmering just above her still form. It looked like a star, but in a moment it darted down to vanish into Angelica's chest without a trace. "What the hell?" He leapt to his feet quickly, staring down at her.  
  
As he watched more lights flowed into the room through the walls, pouring into the still form lying on the bed. In a few moments the last twinkling light vanished into her body, leaving everything exactly as it had been before. "A... Angelica?" His voice shook as he took a step forward fearfully.  
  
Without warning the entire building began to shake down to its very foundations, throwing Kenny to the floor beside the bed roughly. "Holy shit!" He screamed just before a thunderous crash as the entire room in front of him exploded into flames, sending him flying through the door and into the polished hallway outside.  
  
"Angelica!" He yelped worriedly as he pushed himself to his feet and ran inside. He stopped when he saw a slim red figure clutching her by the throat in one almost crablike claw. A dark pulsing energy surrounded her still unconscious form as it dangled limply in his grip. "What are you doing with her!?" Kenny demanded angrily.  
  
"Simple mortal." The creature said in a soft, almost musical tone of voice as it sneered back at him. "You have no idea of the power I now possess... so allow me to..." it turned toward him as one claw began to pulse with a blood red light. It's next few words came out an impossible dark hiss. "SHOW YOU!" It thrust the claw forward, firing the pulsing beam at Kenny.  
  
He didn't even have time to realize what as going on before it struck him full in the chest, throwing him up against the wall on the other side of the hallway. The wall itself cracked from the impact, sending another shudder through the building. He limply slid to the floor, unable to move or even think from the pain surging through his entire body constantly. He couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't dead.  
  
The creature spoke again in that disarmingly flutelike voice. "Enjoy my little gift mortal, soon you will be dead..." It gave a sharp laugh a moment later, its voice abruptly becoming darker than anything he'd ever wished to hear before. "Along with your whole world!" With that it turned to walk toward the wall, vanishing into a pillar of flames that vanished as abruptly as it'd appeared.  
  
Kenny tried to get up and follow after him, but he could barely think with all the pain running through him, let alone move. All he could think was that that thing took Angelica... why?  
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"Hey whoa... WHOOOOAAAAAA!" Blossom screamed as she felt herself suddenly plummeting from the sky. Boomer was falling right beside her letting out a similarly shocked scream. Luckily they landed on the grass instead of the pavement, but it still hurt like the dickens. She couldn't figure out what had happened for the life of her.  
  
"What the hell was that... what happened to our powers?" Boomer demanded angrily as he sat up, rubbing his head and looking around in confusion. Blossom tried to float, use her X-ray vision, or anything at all. None of it worked however, it was all just gone.  
  
"We should get to Professor Tuyoma's right now..." Blossom said shakily. She didn't like to think that she might wind up powerless for some reason. She grunted painfully as she stood up. Her knees were shaking from the fright of falling a good thirty feet. Luckily they hadn't been flying TOO high at the moment...  
  
"I heard that." Boomer agreed as he took her hand and pushed himself to his feet, turning to head down the street. They didn't get too far before something clamped onto them from above, hauling them up the side of a building. "Hey!"  
  
"Two little heroes, caught in a web." Ace's familiar voice taunted them as he descended on a web line right in front of them. He just smirked at the triumphantly, hanging upside down. "Two powerless little heroes... guess that just makes you little punks." He sneered darkly.  
  
"What does it make you striking two little kids while their guard's down huh?" Boomer demanded angrily.  
  
"Victorious." Ace hissed as one claw snapped out to grip Boomer by the throat.  
  
"Stop it! You hurt him I swear I'll..." Blossom trailed off uselessly, knowing there was really nothing she could do right now.  
  
"You'll what? Spank me?" Ace sneered disdainfully. "You really ought to learn some respect for your superiors." He said as he let go of Boomer to run his claws along Blossoms cheek. They bit in lightly, just enough to draw blood from three different scratch wounds.  
  
Suddenly a small spark of light seemed to float right in front of Ace's face. When it stopped they realized it wasn't a spark of light, but a tiny naked woman with gossamer wings attached to her back. She put her hands on her hips and glared at Ace warningly. "You leave them alone mister, or you'll regret it!" She demanded in an almost painfully high-pitched voice.  
  
"Buzz off Tinkerbell." Ace said angrily as he swiped at the small sprite. "Before I pluck those tiny little wings of yours."  
  
"Pluck this." Ace whirled when he heard another voice, looking just in time to see a wave of rainbow colored energy surging toward him. The power slammed into him with enough force to send him clear through the solid cement wall of the building right beside them. There was no telling how many walls he went through before the energy pulse finally subsided, leaving two very blinded kids to try and figure out who had saved them.  
  
"Don't worry guys, we got you." The pixie's high-pitched voice assured them as they felt the webbing that held them being severed. By the time they felt their feet touch the solid ground their vision had cleared enough to see a boy standing in front of them. His hands were still sparking with residual energy from his assault on Ace.  
  
"Derain?" Boomer asked in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't interfere in mortal fights?"  
  
"There's already been interference." Derain told him as he turned to walk away. The small pixie motioned for them to follow as she took up a perch on the Princes shoulder.  
  
"What do you man? What's going on?" Blossom demanded as she and Brick ran to catch up with the boy.  
  
"We don't have time, Him's other lackeys are probably already tracking the rest of you. If Him himself isn't after them." Derain told them without stopping or turning around.  
  
"What?" Boomer demanded incredulously.  
  
"Hold on a minute! You tell us what's going on right now!" Blossom demanded as she put one hand on the bigger boys hand to stop his forward progress.  
  
He stopped and whirled to stare at them steadily. He thought for a few minutes about just how to explain it before speaking. "Imagine all living things as... toys that have re-chargeable batteries. At night when you sleep you plug into the wall and charge up again." He said.  
  
"So what's happening NOW?" Blossom demanded.  
  
"Him's removed the generator from the wall." Derain replied simply. "And if we don't find him and get it back soon, we will all simply run out of power." The other two just stared at him incredulously for a few minutes.  
  
"How are we supposed to find him?" Boomer asked.  
  
"I was on my way to the site where he acquired the 'generator' to see if I could track him from there. With any luck they left a power signature I can follow right to them." Derain replied. "Getting there shouldn't be a problem, I still have enough power to transport myself."  
  
"We're going too." Blossom told him firmly. "We're superheroes, and powers or no powers, we have a responsibility." She told him, not letting go of him for an instant. Derain just nodded back at them in acceptance. Blossom and Boomer still didn't know everything about what was going on, but they knew they were needed and they wouldn't let anyone down if they could help it.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Even the Lords of Eternity will soon be powerless to stand against me..." Him chuckled gleefully in his dulcet tone of voice. "Once their power has dropped enough, I will be able to wipe them all out with a wave of my claw... all thanks to you." He said happily as he lifted the still unconscious form of the girl he'd picked up at the hospital. He didn't even know her name, but it didn't matter anyway. It wasn't the girl that was important, it was the creatures that were now inside of her...  
  
The Necromancer walked up behind the demon dutifully with a smirk on his face. "Ace has returned... with predictable results." He said ironically. He too had aged over the years, and he was now back to almost his previous height as an old man.  
  
"Why do I even bother with that good for nothing wretch?" Him asked rhetorically in a dark growl. "You go then, meet them all at the hospital where I picked up the girl. Make sure none of them leave there alive." He said darkly. His victory was all but assured as long as he possessed the creatures, but he'd found that that 'but' could really lead to a lot of mischief. It was best to take every precaution now.  
  
"Of course." The Necromancer replied with a slight bow. He'd learned quickly that he shouldn't mess with his new master. As strong as his magic was, Him's power was a hundred times that, and possibly even moreso now that he had that he'd been after. Now that they were so close to victory, he wanted to be a part of it now anyway.  
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Buttercup wakled along the streets of Townsville, holding Bricks hand tightly and worriedly. Their powers had cut out just a short while ago for no apparent reason and she was deathly afraid they were gone for good. Brick could obviously sense her worry and gripped her hand more tightly in response as though he was trying to comfort her wordlessly.  
  
"Do you hear something?" Brick asked as he stopped to look around curiously. Buttercup stopped to listen intently as well, hearing a faint sobbing sound from somewhere nearby. "I think someone's in trouble..."  
  
"It's from over here..." Buttercup said as she pulled Brick over to a small building on the side of the street. She pushed the door open to see Bricks' son sitting on the bed in a fetal position, with his legs tucked up against his chest. "What's wrong with you?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Get away from me!" The boy shouted, almost in a sheer panic as he tried to move further away from them. He was caught against the wall though.  
  
"Hey calm down." Brick put his hands up defensively to show he meant no harm. "What's the matter?" He asked worriedly. He obviously wasn't on the best terms with the kid, but it was his obligation to help anyone in need.  
  
"M... My angel's g... gone..." The boy replied shakily through tear-streaked eyes. It took only a few moments for Buttercup to figure it out. Mange had been made of pure energy stemmed from Buttercup's own powers. If the Powerpuff Girls' powers were gone then Mange didn't even exist now.  
  
"Oh... well don't worry, you don't need her." Brick said softly, taking one step toward the boy. "We'll take care of you..." He said softly, reaching out one hand to try and touch his son's shoulder.  
  
"No you're bad I hate you!" The boy shouted as he leapt from the bed, darting for the door quickly. He was halted when Buttercup shot one arm around him, wrapping him up in her embrace and dragging her back to face Brick again. "Let me go!" He screamed almost fearfully. Brick and Buttercup couldn't help but wonder just what Mange had told him.  
  
"Stop, please. Just calm down." Brick placed his hands gently on the smaller boys' shoulders, trying to look into his eyes. "We'll help you just until we find your angel, okay? We're heroes, you can trust us." He said firmly.  
  
"No! Angel told me you were bad! Very bad!" The boy insisted fearfully. He was shaking violently from his fear at being captured.  
  
"We're not!" Brick told him quickly, then he calmed down a bit, stroking the boys' cheek. "I'll help you... I want to help you. Just give me the chance." He said softly, staring into the boys eyes intently. In a few moments he finally started to calm down, breathing a bit more normally under Buttercups hold. Once he looked okay enough Brick nodded to his girlfriend, signaling for her to let him go.  
  
Once he was free the boy silently reached one hand up to wipe the tears from his eyes. He tried to put on a brave front, but he was shaking violently from just staring up at his dad. Obviously the kid had never known what it was like to be without Mange, this might be a good experience for him actually.  
  
"Come on, let's go find Professor Tuyoma... maybe she can tell us just what's going on here." Brick said softly as he took one of the boys hands and turned to head toward the door. Buttercup took the boys' other hand gently as they left the building. The kid was scared beyond belief, but he wouldn't let himself look back. He wanted to look brave in front of his enemies, even without his guardian...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
He tried to clear his mind as much as much as possible, but thoughts and feelings kept creeping back in no matter what he did. He sat cross legged on the floor with his eyes closed. He couldn't figure out what the problem was. He'd entered the meditative trance countless times without difficulty but something was stopping him now...  
  
His eyes snapped open when he felt a familiar presence coming back his way. He'd had almost an entire decade to hone himself in his fathers' ways and become as strong as possible, waiting for the chance to strike back at him for everything he'd ever done. Now he could feel his father returning to South Park... his chance was coming right now.  
  
Slowly he pushed himself up to his feet and walked over to the desk where he kept the curved sword his father had found a long time ago on an expedition. Legends said it was enchanted by the creator of existence. He didn't know about that, he just knew it'd served him well as long as he'd had it.  
  
"Time to put an end to this..." Gregory said firmly as he hefted it for balance. He'd trained too long and too hard for this day to fail now. Someone would die when he met his father... and he didn't plan for it to be him.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Bubbles hummed happily to herself as she and Elibell played a game of checkers for the hundredth time that day. Bubbles hadn't won one game yet, and she wouldn't quit until she did.  
  
"Hah, take that!" Bubbles said proudly as she jumped three of the bigger girls' pieces. Eli just grinned and moved one piece over five of Bubbles'. The Powerpuff frowned sadly down at the board before smirking back up at her friend. "Lucky move..." She mumbled. Eli just chuckled merrily as she began setting up the board again.  
  
"Too bad luck doesn't last very long." Bubbles whirled at the sound of her own voice. The three Whoopass Girls floated in the air behind her with huge grins on their faces. "Because yours just ran out."  
  
"Hey!" Bubbles tried to float up to face them, but she just jumps to her feet, going no higher. "Hey what's going on here!? Where are my powers!?" She yelled fearfully.  
  
"Aw, you didn't notice?" Blossom asked pityingly. "It's all ours now, we're back in good with Him and thanks to him you are now at our mercy." She said with a dark grin.  
  
"Just too bad for you that we have no mercy." Buttercup added, also grinning evilly.  
  
"You stay back!" Bubbles demanded, leaping in front of Elibell protectively. Her voice shook as she spoke and she felt weaker than she ever had in her life, but she wouldn't let anything happen to her friend without a fight.  
  
"Oh... you wanna protect her? Huh? Okay, how about taking a BLOW for her!" The evil Bubbles streaked forward suddenly, slamming one fist hard into Bubbles gut. The pigtailed puff crumpled over with a pained gasp from the sheer blow of it. Tears came to her eyes from the pain that ran through her body. She'd never felt anything like this, her powers had always protected her before.  
  
"Bubbles!" Eli exclaimed in surprise before both of her arms were caught by the other two Whoopass Girls. "Bubbles are you okay!?" She exclaimed worriedly. Bubbles tried to calm down, but she could only hold her stomach painfully, sobbing uselessly.  
  
"I'd worry about myself if I were you... lesbo." The Whoopass Bubbles said with an evil chuckle as she floated up to stare down the much bigger girl.  
  
"You... You're the one who said all those things to me and hit me!" Elibell realized angrily. "I hate you!" She put on a ferocious front until Bubbles grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled a fist back, aiming straight for your face.  
  
"We saw what I could do to your stomach, wanna see what art I can make of your pretty black face?" She asked with an evil sneer.  
  
"N... No..." Bubbles managed to squeak out as she pushed herself up to her knees. Her stomach felt like it'd completely caved in on itself. Waves of pain just kept rushing over her, making her dizzy and ready to pass out at any time. "Get... away from... her..."  
  
"No I'm genuinely curious... so let's find out." Whoopass Bubbles said as she pulled her fist back a bit further and suddenly thrust it forward. The blow sent the bigger girl reeling against the other Whoopass Girls, but they held her arms tightly, keeping her from falling to the ground or flying against the wall as she might have.  
  
"Eli!" Bubbles croaked out as her counterpart struck again and again and again. Elibell had gone totally limp after the first blow, but the girls still held her up while the punishment continued to be delivered. "Stop it!" Bubbles howled angrily as she threw herself at her counterpart.  
  
"Hah!" Whoopass Bubbles just gave a derisive laugh as she grabbed Powerpuff Bubbles by the collar, not even really feeling the supposed attack. "I guess we've had enough fun, we still have work to do. Him might get impatient if we don't hurry up and take out Buttercup and Brick too. So I guess this is goodbye." She said with mock sadness ass he raised her fist again.  
  
The blow sent Bubbles hurdling through the wall to land heavily on the grass. She groaned slightly from the pain in her jaw. She could barely move it, it hurt so badly now. She tried not to really give any outward signs of life though lest the others come out and try to finish the job.  
  
"I think we've had about enough fun girls." She heard Blossom say from inside the building. "With Necrobastard after the runaways, we only have two more little pests to get rid of. After that it's the Bahamas for us!" She announced with something akin to relief in her voice. She didn't care at all who she had to hurt in order to be comfortable. Bubbles could hardly resist the temptation to charge them again, but as long as they left her and Eli alone now she wouldn't move a muscle.  
  
"Well what are we waiting for? My perfect tan is waiting for us!" Whoopass Bubbles said with a happy laugh just before the trio streaked out of the building right over Bubbles' head. Once they were gone the pigtailed Powerpuff lifted her head and crawled weakly back toward the hole she had made in the wall.  
  
She pushed herself slowly over to her friends' body which lie limply on the ground. Her face was turned the other way, covered by her thick dark hair. "Eli... hold on..." Bubbles croaked out though every word hurt her immensely as she was forced to move her mouth. Finally she reached her friends' side and crawled on her stomach, reaching one hand up to try to search her face worriedly. She didn't get very far however before she felt herself black out from the pain.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Blossom remained silent as she and Boomer followed Derain through the polished hospital hallways. It had taken them multiple teleportations to finally arrive here in this small town. Obviously Derain hadn't been kidding when he said he was steadily getting weaker. It seemed like every jump carried less distance than the last. They had finally arrived though, so that was a minor blessing.  
  
When they finally reached the room that the receptionist had told them belonged to a certain girl Derain seemed to know they were surprised to see a blond-haired boy sitting on a chair set up right beside the bed. He wore a forlorn and haggard expression on his face, even as it remained in an almost constant twist of pain.  
  
He looked up in surprise when they entered. His eyes went wide when he saw the Prince of Eternity. "Derain? What's going on here?" He asked worriedly.  
  
"It's been a very long time Kenny." Derain replied with a small smirk as he walked over to the bed. "Trouble just seems to follow you and your friends around doesn't it?" He asked ironically.  
  
"I saw it... some glowing lights went into her and then she was taken by... something..." Kenny stood up as he spoke, practically begging to be listened to.  
  
"Glowing lights?" Blossom asked confusedly. "Do you know what they are Derain?"  
  
"They... are the source of all the energy of this world." Derain replied seriously as he stared down at the bed. "The Faeri... they live in a dimension just above all of our own dimensions. They are innocent creatures, probably unaware of the extent of their own power. We've always used their power to energize ourselves..." He said.  
  
"If they're so powerful how could Him possibly keep them contained?" Boomer asked confusedly.  
  
"He used their innocence against them... I see now." Derain replied as he studied the bed. He seemed to be staring at something only he could see. "They heard Angelica crying out for help through the void... they came to release her from her pain, bring her back... but he was waiting." He frowned as he studied the bed. "He trapped them in her body and is leeching their power from IT... using her as a kind of connector."  
  
"So we have to get Angelica back." Kenny said quickly. Blossom wasn't sure if he wanted to save the world or this girl more. "We just have to find her..." He said more softly.  
  
"I know where they went..." Derain whispered to them softly.  
  
"Too bad you've just hit the end of the road." They all whirled to see a figure in a dark cloak staring at them from the doorway. He stood tall and strong, bearing a staff in one hand that he had more for power's sake than because he needed it to lean on.  
  
"James..." Kenny growled darkly as he took one threatening step forward.  
  
"Kenny..." The Necromancer said softly with a wry grin on his face. "It's been a long time. Tell me... how is Stephanie?" He grinned mockingly as he spoke, glaring straight at the blond teenager.  
  
"A lot better than you're going to be when I get done with you." Kenny growled back darkly.  
  
"Guys, get out of here." Derain said as he turned to squarely face the Necromancer. His hands thrust out to the side, abruptly becoming covered in a soft rainbow hued light. It pulsed weakly in spurts around his hands, like a flame that was dangerously close to flickering out completely.  
  
"Oh please. You're growing weaker by the second while I am growing stronger. You cannot defeat me." The Necromancer said with a contemptuous sneer.  
  
"Then fight ME." Another voice said from behind the cloaked figure. He turned around slowly to see a blond boy holding a curved sword in his direction with a deadly serious expression on his face. "I've been waiting for you to show up again... dad." He said darkly.  
  
"Gregory..." The Necromancer said with a small smile. "What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't counting on ever meeting you again. This is very convenient, everyone I mean to kill in one spot."  
  
"Go ahead and try..." Gregory grumbled darkly as he lowered his stance a bit. Electrical energy started pulsing through his sword a few moments later. He didn't pay any attention to the fact that the energy seemed close to fading out like Derain's. Instead he kept his eyes locked on those of his father.  
  
"We should make a hasty exit before the battle ends..." Derain told the others softly as he rushed for the window. He, Blossom, Boomer, the pixie and Kenny all escaped through the window as fast as possible while the two combatants faced each other steadily.  
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Gregory could feel his power fluctuating wildly, but he refused to let himself give up no matter what happened. He'd waited and trained for far too long to give up now that he had his chance. It didn't matter if he was the one who died at this point, as long as someone emerged the victor.  
  
"A pity this cannot be a fair fight, but I have a job to do." The Necromancer said as he lifted one hand in front of him. A blast of pure dark energy shot at Gregory like a bullet, plunging into the pulsing shield he'd put up barely in time to deflect it.  
  
"You let your arrogance get the better of you by underestimating me. I've had nearly an entire decade to prepare for this." Gregory said as he brought his power to bear in his sword. The energy surged through it violently before he swung it at the dark cloaked figure. The power surged through the air quickly, but it was easily waved away by one swift hand movement.  
  
"I will admit if you were at full power this might be entertaining, but I have too much to do to waste time." He brought his staff around now as it began to pulse with blood red power. In a few moments it struck out with enough force to send Gregory flying back through the opposite wall into another room. He tried to push himself out of the rubble, but he could barely even lift his head.  
  
Gregory glared up at him hatefully, his face twisting in rage. "You know... the only thing I regret in my life... is my bloodline..." He said softly.  
  
"Then let me expunge you of it." The Necromancer replied as his staff began to glow again. He approached his son slowly, lifting the staff over his head. The blond man closed his eyes to await the final strike he knew would come any minute. It was finally over.  
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Brick just held his sons' hand gently as all three of them walked along the sidewalk. It felt kind of strange being with his son and his girlfriend like this, it was almost like they were one big family or something. He knew that was just his imagination though, there was no way that would ever happen. Especially not with the kinds of things Mange had told the boy...  
  
"You know, You need a name." Brick said suddenly as he looked down at the slightly smaller kid. "We can't just call you kid or boy all the time." He said with a humorous smirk.  
  
"Nobody ever gave me a name..." The kid replied softly.  
  
"Some angel..." Buttercup grumbled under her breath before her expression turned thoughtful. "How about Bruiser?" The kid stuck his tongue out at that and shook his head.  
  
"How about Brick Junior?" Brick said jokingly. As expected both of the others frowned and shook their heads.  
  
"Well help us out here kiddo, how do you see yourself?" Buttercup asked. The kid thought about that for a little while with his little face scrunched up in concentration. He actually looked kind of cute when he wasn't trying to kill them all.  
  
"Bloodbath..." He smiled slightly to himself while Buttercup and Brick exchanged a worried glance.  
  
"Er... no. How about... Boston?" Brick suggested with a shrug. Buttercup glared at him balefully, but the kid actually looked like he was considering it.  
  
"I... I think I kind of like that... Boston." The kid said with a small smile.  
  
"You want to be called Boston?" Buttercup said incredulously.  
  
"Sure... what's wrong with it?" The kid newly named Boston replied defensively.  
  
"Oh nothing at all! It's a great name!" Buttercup put her hands up defensively and smiled as she spoke. Brick grinned at her from behind his kid and gave her a peace sign. It was at this point that she really saw the family resemblance.  
  
"It sucks!" The three of them whirled around at the sound of Buttercups own voice from behind them. The Whoopass Girls slowly floated down to land on the sidewalk. Each one of them had an evil grin on their face like they had some secret they couldn't wait to share.  
  
"What do you want!?" Buttercup demanded forcefully. She and Brick quickly pushed Boston behind them, facing the trio down as bravely as they could without their powers.  
  
"A perfect tan, but we have to go through you to get it." Bubbles told her simply. "All we have to do is wipe out you two..." She stopped and narrowed her eyes looking between Buttercup and Brick. "Three? Wait... Necromancer's after two... we already took down one... Butch is dead... who the hell is THAT?" She demanded, glaring angrily at the kid who was hiding behind Brick.  
  
"Who cares who it is? It's a Rowdyruff Boy, so let's just get rid of him too to be on the safe side." Blossom told her sister as she started to advance on the powerless heroes. Boston gasped and shivered behind his dad, clinging to his shirt fearfully.  
  
"Took down one...?" Buttercup asked in a shaky voice.  
  
"Hah, yeah. Bubbles is already dead." Whoopass Buttercup informed them gleefully. "Didn't know that didja?" A wide grin spread across her face as her counterpart's face went totally pale. "Well I wouldn't worry about it if I were you... you'll see her soon." Her grin grew even wider as the three Whoopass Girls neared the three powerless puffs.  
  
"Boston... get out of here..." Brick said determinedly.  
  
"Uh... O... Okay..." The boy turned to run away as fast as he could while Buttercup and Brick charged at the three Whoopass Girls. The valiant assault lasted all of two seconds before Buttercup and Brick were pinned roughly to the ground by Buttercup and Blossom respectively. Bubbles took off after the escaping child as fast as she could. The poor boy never had a prayer of escape.  
  
"Rgh... don't hurt him, he doesn't even have any powers!" Brick told them quickly as Bubbles floated back, holding Boston tightly enough to where he couldn't even move his arms at all. "He has nothing to do with this!"  
  
"Neither did lesbo-bitch, and that was just plain fun." Bubbles replied with a sly wink.  
  
"You little witch..." Buttercup growled darkly. "I swear when I get my powers back I'm gonna kick your ass so hard you'll be crapping out of your mouth!" She screamed furiously.  
  
Bubbles let out a mocking gasp of shock. "Such language, and in front of a child even. Tsk tsk tsk." She grinned triumphantly as she put her mouth close to the boys' ear. "Of course I don't know, as far as I know he could be a man... could be ready to die like one." She said as she gripped his head, ready to snap his neck at any moment. Boston was crying uncontrollably by now. He was raised to be practically emotionless except for hate... but without Mange he was just a normal kid.  
  
"Stop it!" Brick howled gruffly. "Kill us if you want but for Gods sakes leave him alone..." He said more softly.  
  
"Well... if you insist." Blossom grinned as she grabbed him and hauled him up off the sidewalk.  
  
"Hah, yeah!" Buttercup agreed as she hefted her counterpart off of the cement as well. "Hey I've got an idea, if they're so very much in love, why don't we give them a chance to be together when they die." She said with an evil smirk.  
  
"Oh how very romantic..." Bubbles gave a mock sniff as she sneered down at them.  
  
"I have the perfect idea too... come on girls." Blossom said as she floated off dragging Brick with her. Buttercup and Bubbles followed after her shortly, dragging Buttercup and Boston along with them.  
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The world felt like it was spinning as Bubbles tried to open her eyes to see what was going on around her. She was on her back on something that was moving along a very brightly lit hallway. She tried to move and see where she was but there were hands holding her down firmly to the mattress. There were voices coming from all around her, taking in hushed worried tones.  
  
"There are ruptures in several bones and her jaw is fractured, we need to repair the damage quickly before it sets like this." One of the voices said quickly.  
  
"Prep ER six, we need to get this done as quickly as possible." Another voice said as she felt the stretcher she was on bumps its way through a pair of swinging doors.  
  
"Got it doctor." Yet another voice said as they finally reached what was apparently their destination. She could only see a high roof overhead with several lights strung directly above her. They were almost blinding as she saw several people now bending over her.  
  
"I think she's awake." One of them said in surprise.  
  
"Quickly, put her under, we need to do this now!" Bubbles could feel the panic beginning to rise in her throat. Before she could cry out or struggle she felt a pair of hands putting a plastic mask over her mouth. She tried frantically to look around even as the gas began to take effect. Her eyelids finally grew too heavy to hold open and she once again felt herself drift into unconsciousness.  
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"He knew better than to return to his lair, he'd be too easy to find." Derain said as he, Blossom, Boomer, Seraphim the pixie and Kenny made their way down the street. "So he took her to a place where nobody would even think to look... right under their own noses in Townsville."  
  
"He hid in Townsville so he wouldn't be found? Does that make sense?" Boomer asked confusedly.  
  
"Would you have thought to look in our own backyard?" Blossom asked dryly before she turned back to Derain. "So we know where he is... now what are we supposed to DO about it?"  
  
"The Faeri are held inside Angelica's body, so he has to keep her close to him... if we get her away the Faeri might break free, granting everyone's energy back." Derain told her.  
  
"Sounds good to me!" Kenny agreed instantly.  
  
"How are we supposed to get her away from Him if he's currently more powerful than the people who RULE the planet?" Blossom asked.  
  
"We'll have to pay a visit to Eternity first and see my parents. They should be able to help us somehow. They're more powerful than anything else on the planet, if anything still has even a fraction of their life force left it'd be them." Derain replied thoughtfully.  
  
"The only problem is, my power was gone almost right when Him took the Faeri and Derain's power was slowly leeched until none's left... we can't GET to Eternity now." The small pixie Seraphim said from the much bigger boys' shoulder.  
  
"Then we'll just have to get straight to Him." Blossom said determinedly as she stood up. "Whatever we do we have to do it soon right? So let's just GO and do this right now." She said firmly.  
  
"I agree... standing around here worrying will only make us weaker for the fight itself." Boomer said as he stood up beside her. He snaked one hand over to take her hand in his discreetly. "Whatever we do, we had might as well get it over with and save as many lives as possible."  
  
"I couldn't save Stephanie those years ago... I'll be damned if I let Angelica die under my nose too." Kenny said as he stood up with them. He was several times taller than the tiny puff and ruff, but it didn't really matter now.  
  
"Very well then. Let's get going." Derain said as he stood up with them. They didn't have long. As long as Him had the Faeri, nobody would ever recover or heal. Sleep would do them no good as their energy slowly seeped out of them. All they could do was hurry and hope that when they got to their destination they still had enough power left to get the job done.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"THIS is your big plan?" Buttercup teased mockingly as her counterpart held her fast. They were on a cliff above a river that ran wild with sharks and ran very fast. "Seriously, this is comic-book stuff, totally beneath you guys." She said with a wry smirk.  
  
"Just think how embarrassing it'll be then to be known as the superhero who actually FELL to one of those lame traps." Blossom told her as she kept a tight hold on Boston. Bubbles had the job of stripping Brick's clothing from him, and she seemed to be having a whole lot of fun with it too.  
  
"Man... what muscle structure... what a physique... what a..."  
  
"Just take him to the edge of the cliff already!" Blossom told her angrily. Bubbles stuck her tongue out at the Whoopass Girls leader as she dragged Brick over to the edge to push him beside Buttercup.  
  
"So what exactly was the point of stripping him? More embarrassment or something? There's nobody here but us Puffs, Ruffs, and Asses." Buttercup said acidly. "Or do you just get a thrill out of it?"  
  
"The point, is you make it easier for them." Blossom pointed down at the river a bit below them. "And to make sure that this kid can see you two get chewed into tiny quivering bits instead of seeing cloth everywhere... just before he joins you that is." She said with an evil grin. Boston's eyes went a bit wider at that.  
  
"Though I do wish I could keep you around for just a BIT longer..." Bubbles said as she looked Brick up and down admiringly. There was no question about what was on her mind since she was practically foaming at the mouth for him.  
  
Brick stared at her for a few moments before looking back at Buttercup discreetly. She stuck her tongue out in disgust, but nodded back since it was the only plan available. "Well who says we can't take a few minutes Bubbles?" He asked as he walked up to her. "I'll be damned if I really want to die a virgin." He told her.  
  
"Oh?" Bubbles replied, staring at him hopefully.  
  
"Don't even think about it Bubbles, push him in!" Blossom ordered quickly. Buttercup moved back toward the edge slowly as her counterpart advanced on her. Bubbles just stared at Brick admiringly as he raised his hands to caress her cheeks. "Bubbles come on!" Blossom screeched angrily.  
  
"J... just a few minutes!" Bubbles replied quickly. Both of her sister whirled on her angrily at this. The Whoopass Girls were evil, but they rarely fought among themselves.  
  
"Bubbles I said push him in!" Blossom yelled!  
  
"Yeah, sheesh, can't you do anything right without having sex on the brain!? I'd almost think you were a guy!" Whoopass Buttercup yelled at her angrily. While they were all distracted Powerpuff Buttercup made her way over to Boston and made a beeline for the city again with the kid in tow. Brick however could not follow since he was still being held in place by Bubbles.  
  
"But you guys I haven't gotten to do anything yet!" Bubbles whined in disappointment.  
  
"Well do it with some other guy just push him in!" Blossom demanded angrily.  
  
"Oh fine..." Bubbles sighed as she moved a bit closer to Brick, putting her hands on his chest. In a moment Brick found himself flying through the air toward the raging river far below. Aw well... he figured at least he'd managed to let his girlfriend and son escape...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Brick!" Buttercup shouted when she looked back to see him flying through the air off the cliff. She wanted to go back and do something, but that would only get them captured again. Still she couldn't tear herself away, couldn't make herself leave him there. She could only stare wide eyes at the cliff he'd just disappeared behind.  
  
"Come on..." Boston grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him as he ran down the street. Her mind was totally numb as she ran behind him. She could barely even think at all, only the image of him falling was etched in her mind. Falling to his death...  
  
"In here!" Boston told her as he ducked into the small building where they'd found him in the first place. "Nobody knows me and my angel live here, they shouldn't find us here." He told her as he walked over to close the lone window in the room.  
  
"I can't... believe it..." She whispered, stunned beyond words. Boston despite that he'd tried so often to kill his father himself looked just as downtrodden.  
  
"Angel always told me my dad was a bad man... that he was evil and hurt my mom on purpose. If he's evil... why did he save me?" He asked himself more than Buttercup as he just sat down on the bed silently. "I'm confused..." He cradled his head in his hands painfully and started rocking back and forth. Calmly Buttercup reached over to put arm around his shoulder comfortingly. They both remained silent for a long time, just waiting for something to happen. They didn't even know what, they just didn't want to move or think. They just wanted to remain that way...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"This is it..." Derain said as they stood just outside the Townsville stadium where most sporting events and concerts were held. "He's inside, waiting for everyone else to drain of their power so he can move in and crush them all." He said with a dark sneer.  
  
"So... do we have a plan or do we just rush in like headless chickens after Angelica?" Kenny asked curiously as he looked up at the high dome. If Him needed to hide in this place to not be seen, what did he look like by now?  
  
"Once he uses his powers to try and stop us, the Lords of Eternity should be able to find him and come help us." Seraphim informed the others. "The only problem is we stand very little chance of surviving a magical attack from him right now." She said gravely.  
  
"Then we'd better be careful not to let him hit us." Blossom said as she started toward the huge double doors. "Come on, we have no time to waste. There's no telling what could happen if we wait too long." The others followed behind her as she pushed the doors open and went inside. The hallway stretched around in a big circle, but another set of double doors led straight into the main arena.  
  
"He's been absorbing power all this time... expect anything." Seraphim suggested as Blossom marched up to the inner doors and flung them wide open. They all took a few steps inside before they stopped to stare at the form in the center of the room. It looked like a mound that was rising and falling steadily with every breath.  
  
"Alright Him! Prepare to be defeated once again!" Blossom said firmly as she struck a confident pose. Her knees lost much of their firmness however as the mound began to move, expanding outward into a pair of leathery wings as a figure stood up between them. Its face was that of Him, but his body had been completely altered by the steady influx of energy. He had a spiked tail sticking out of his back and his claws glinted wetly, possibly poisonously. An extra pair of arms also extended from a bit below each of the old arms. Overall he was four times the height of his previous self and he had a lot more muscle on him. Also a pair of black leathery wings extended from his back. He opened his mouth to reveal a now forked tongue. Hanging from his belt was a man sized box shaped like a casket... Angelica.  
  
"Powerpuff Girl and company." He said in his old dulcet tone of voice. "How droll and unnecessary." His voice abruptly struck a darker tone than any the others had heard before. "Why can't you just roll over and die like everybody else?" He demanded.  
  
"Powerpuffs never play dead!" Blossom replied firmly, finally regaining her composure after the initial shock. "No matter what you do or how much you struggle, evil will NEVER prevail!" She said firmly. Him just let out a dark, demonic laugh that sent cracks running through the building from the sheer force of it.  
  
"All the power of existence is MINE to command!" Him told her as he lifted one claw toward them. Derain grunted painfully as he was lifted off the ground by some invisible force. "Even the Prince of Eternity himself..." He quickly clenched the extended claw into a fist. Derain screamed for only a moment before he stopped moving completely. He didn't even twitch, but instead just floated in the air limply. "Is a bug to me now."  
  
"Master Derain!" Seraphim shrieked in an absolute panic. Everyone stared in disbelief as the body of one of the most powerful beings in existence fell to the ground before them like a lump of flesh. The pixie streaked over to him quickly to check on him. Her tears flowed freely down her tiny cheeks.  
  
"Still want to fight Powerpuff Girl?" Him asked mockingly. Blossoms knees were visibly shaking now as she stared up at him immense form. He literally could kill them all with little more than a thought, how were they supposed to fight that?  
  
"Why not pick on someone who still has a fighting chance?" Everyone looked up as a portal opened up near the ceiling. A myriad of colors flowed from it slowly in an ever-expanding circle. It was followed by two forms with glowing rainbow hued wings.  
  
"Even you are POWERLESS compared to me now!" Him replied as he balled up all four of his fists angrily. "Come on! I'll take you both down!" He howled darkly.  
  
"Very well then. You have defied all of the rules set forth, you will be punished for your transgressions." Deliah said ass he whipped out a blade literally made of fire except for the pommel. "You will be punished for defying Eternity and most of all... you will pay for hurting my son!" She shrieked as she threw herself at the hulking form of Him.  
  
While she had Him occupied the other winged lord floated slowly down to the group that had assembled near the entrance of the stadium. He landed just in front of Derain's body, staring down at it sadly.  
  
"I am sorry Master Damien... I could not protect him..." Seraphim choked out between sobs as she gave a respectful bow to her master. The wings vanished from the lords back as he gently patted the pixies back comfortingly. He knelt down beside his son for a moment to study him closely. Finally he stood up again and turned toward the rest of them.  
  
"We do not stand a chance against Him as it is..." He told the others as calmly as if his son wasn't lying dead on the ground behind him. "We need to take away the source of his power. Once the Faeri are freed then our own strength should return to us as before... then we will be able to defeat him."  
  
"What can we do?" Boomer asked worriedly.  
  
"We may be more powerful than you are, but you can move faster with less expended energy. Only you have the speed to get that casket away from Him." Damien replied as he put his hands up, holding them toward the Powerpuff Girl and Rowdyruff Boy. They glowed with a beautiful colored light that slowly expanded towards the two heroes, engulfing them in a myriad of swirling colors and possibilities.  
  
Blossom smiled as she felt her powers returning to her after being without them. She and Boomer both floated up off the ground as the light died out, leaving them all as they had been. "Do it quickly, you will not be powered for long." Damien told the urgently.  
  
"Come on Boomer, time to stop this once and for all!" Blossom said eagerly. "I'll play decoy, you snatch the box!"  
  
"Yes ma'am!" Boomer agreed as they both streaked up toward Him to join Deliah in battle. Blossom streaked up toward his head while Boomer swung around the long way, keeping his distance for now.  
  
"Surprise!" Blossom shouted as she fired a stream of heat rays into Him's eyes.  
  
"What!? You're not supposed to have any powers! I will crush them out of you!" Him screeched in his darkest voice as all four of his arms turned to reach for Blossom. It was then that Boomer made his move, streaking in from behind to grab the box and pull it... to no avail. Something held it in place much tighter then the Rowdyruff Boy could handle.  
  
"Geeze what is this thing made of!? Whoa!" He streaked out of the way quickly as Him reached down to get him away. "Blossom, I can't get it!" He shouted in a panic.  
  
"Of COURSE you can't, my powers are far greater than even HERS!" Him shrieked triumphantly as he slammed one fist into Deliah. The Lord of Eternity was sent flying against the wall over the entrance forcefully. Her fire-sword flew down toward those below her, sticking into the ground right as Kenny's feet. Damien didn't even blink as he looked up at her, still moving and alive.  
  
"It doesn't matter what you do or how much power you have! We will NEVER give up!" Blossom shouted down at him challengingly as she and Boomer floated up near his head. "We WILL beat you!" She shouted just before her and Boomer simultaneously charged right at Him's head to plant several blows. Not one of them had very much effect however.  
  
"As long as I have the Faeri, I can draw as much power as I need." Him replied with a dark smirk. Kenny stared up at the battle for a moment before he reached down to pull the blade of fire from the ground. Oddly it didn't feel too hot, it felt just like any normal sword. "Now I grow tired of these games, it's time to die." He said as he raised his hands in front of him in the same way he had with Derain.  
  
"Don't worry Angelica... I'm coming." Kenny said to himself as he started spinning rapidly like he was in an Olympic hammer throw. In a few moments he let the blade fly, straight at the casket that still hung from Him's side. Blossom and Boomer strained painfully as the invisible forced squeezed them tightly.  
  
The blade flew true, plunging into the wooden box near the top and setting the whole thing ablaze. "NO!" Him shrieked as the bottom of the box gave out, sending Angelica's limp body falling to the floor. Kenny ran quickly and slid along the ground to catch her before she could slam onto the hard floor. "Give that back!" Him shrieked, but it was already too late.  
  
A series of pure white pinpoints of light flowed out from Angelica's chest in a magnificent wave as they were finally freed. Blossom, Boomer, Damien, and Deliah all felt their powers returning as the light of the Faeri shone upon them. Him however began to lose his new form, reverting back to his old spindly self.  
  
"No! No!" Him shrieked as he saw the glowing wings once again begin to form around the Lords of Eternity. "I will crush you before you regain full power!" He shrieked madly as his form again began to shift. He tore through the very roof of the building as he assumed his true form, that of a hulking ugly demon the likes of which the Powerpuff Girls had only seen once...  
  
Blossom and Boomer streaked down to grab Boomer and Angelica before Him's huge legs could accidentally crush them. Him's true target however eluded every attack he could throw. His huge claws were useless against the two Lords of Eternity as their wings of rainbow light fully returned to them and they flew upward. They flew up to the level of Him's head, glaring at him hatefully.  
  
"For your crimes we sentence you to non-existence!" Deliah shrieked as both of the lords flung their hands forward. The rainbow power surged through the air around Him, binding him like an animal easily despite his true forms inherent power.  
  
"I will never be destroyed! I will kill you ALL!" Him shrieked in his darkest voice just before his form began to waver in the strands of power that bound him. Suddenly his entire form waver and vanished into the ground at their feet, leaving nothing except the rubble and the harried participants in this battle to hang around.  
  
"That's it huh? We won?" Kenny asked as the two heroes and two Lords floated back down to land beside him. He looked up curiously again as the pinpoints of light returned, surrounding Angelica, who was still cradled in his arms. "What are they doing?"  
  
"What they came to do." Deliah replied with a ghost of a smile as the power surged through the unconscious girl huddled in Kenny's arms. In a few moments they all heard a soft groan from her as she slowly opened her eyes. The light faded slowly and finally the pinpoints dispersed into the air again as she looked up at him.  
  
"Angelica... you're awake..." Kenny said in disbelief as he stroked her cheek gently. She stared up at him weakly.  
  
"Kenny... what... is going on..." She asked in a voice barely above a whisper.  
  
"Don't worry about it... we're all okay now." He told her with a grin as he clutched her firmly against his body. "I saved you..." He closed his eyes as he held onto her.  
  
Blossom smiled happily before she turned around to see Damien picking up the now lifeless body of his son. "Can't you just bring him back?" She asked concernedly.  
  
"When a being of Eternity dies, they simply cease to be..." Damien replied softly before he turned away from them.  
  
"Thank you all." Deliah told them with a small bow. "If it wasn't for you, the world would not have survived this ordeal."  
  
"Don't worry about it, saving the world's what we do." Blossom told her nonchalantly.  
  
"I just want to get home..." Kenny said softly.  
  
"Farewell." Deliah said as she turned to leave. Seraphim floated silently after her, leaving the mortals to gather themselves for their journeys home. This had been an experience none of them COULD ever forget...  
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Brick splashed in the water frantically as several sharks tailed him closely. He was growing tired and couldn't keep this up much longer... they were catching up to him until finally one shark clamped its teeth around his leg. He braced himself for pain... but none came.  
  
He loked down curiously to see the shark clinging to his leg tightly... but its teeth didn't pierce his flesh. Experimentally he tried to float up from the water... and floated as commanded. His powers had returned.  
  
"Heh... hahahaha!" He laughed happily as he kicked the oversized fish off his foot and streaked off to find his girlfriend and son again.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Bubbles opened her eyes slowly, suddenly feeling a lot better than she had been. She reached up to touch her face and found a bandage wrapped tightly around her jaw. She unwound it quickly to find that she was, once again, perfectly fine. Something had fixed her.  
  
She floated up from the bed, confirming that she did indeed have her powers back. This meant that she healed well again, as always. She stared at the second bed in the same hospital room however, where Elibell was still lying on her back limply.  
  
She floated numbly down to her friends side. Her face was completely bandaged up, concealing it from view. Only the steady throb of the heart monitors gave any indication that she was alive at all.  
  
"You'll be okay..." Bubbles whispered to her worriedly as she reached out one hand to stroke her bandaged cheek. Bubbles had healed, but Elibell might never heal from the beating she'd taken. This knowledge filled Bubbles with absolute hatred for the ones who'd done this to her... they would pay someday.  
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A few weeks later, the Keane household was in the living room celebrating the joining of its new member, Boston Keane. Mange had never returned after the 'power outage' as it'd come to be known. So the kid had clung to his father like a leech, and been accepted into the household as most of them thought he should be anyway. Only Princess refused to join the festivities, being the spoiled brat she was.  
  
"So when do you plan to start school Boston?" Bubbles asked innocent as she studied the smaller boy happily. She had been the quickest to trust him again after all the attacks and threats.  
  
"I don't know, soon I guess." Boston replied with a somewhat nervous smile. He still wasn't used to being around anyone but 'his angel'. They all looked up curiously when the doorbell rang.  
  
"You kids keep having fun, I'll get it." Miss Keane told them with a smile as she went to get the door. They could hear her speaking from the living room, but couldn't see her. "Ye... oh my..." She trailed off as another hushed voice spoke to her for a few moments. "Yes of course, they're in the living room... um..." She was grinning widely as she walked up to the entrance of the living room. "Girls there's someone with a message here for you." She moved out of the way a moment later, revealing the messenger.  
  
The Powerpuff Girls just stared in shock as the figure spoke. "Deliah says... thank you." Professor Utonium said with a happy smile.  
  
"PROFESSOR!" The girls finally gained their senses enough to shriek and fly into his arms, squeezing him tightly. He laughed as he fell to the floor just like old times and wrapped his arms around them as well.  
  
"Are you here to stay?" Bubbles asked quickly.  
  
"Of course I am." The Professor replied as he hugged them even more tightly to him. The girls were all practically in tears as they clung to him, unable to make themselves let go. "I'm staying right here with you girls this time." He assured them softly. The Rowdyruff Boys just exchanged a quickly half-smile as they watched the spectacle in front of them.  
  
"Who is that?" Boston asked confusedly as he watch the girls as well. Brick just chuckled and patted the kids head as he gestured for him to keep quiet.  
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Kenny just stared at the glowing TV screen in front of him silently, flipping through an occasional channel. It was nearly midnight and Angelica had long ago fallen asleep on the couch behind him. It was nice having her back, he loved the fact that he'd actually been able to save her like he couldn't Steph but... there was still something missing... a hole yet unplugged.  
  
He jumped a bit when he heard a soft knock on the door. Irritably he got up and walked over to answer it. He pulled the door open and just stared at the figure who stood just outside with wide, disbelieving eyes.  
  
"Hello Kenny..." The redheaded woman spoke with a clear southern accent as she just looked at him with a smile on her face. "My... you've grown quite a bit."  
  
"Mom..." Kenny muttered as he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. He'd never gotten the chance to talk to her when she'd still been alive. He'd always been bitter and hateful of her, he thought if he ever wanted to talk to her he could. Of course, that was before she had been killed... then he had realized that even if he wanted to he couldn't see her again...  
  
"Don't worry... we'll do it all right this time... third time's the charm after all." She replied jokingly. He just smiled and held onto her, not wanting to push her away this time. This was what he'd been wanting... a second chance with his mother.  
  
THE END 


	7. 306- Life's Little Lessons

306- Life's Little Lessons  
  
  
A full week after the Professor's very happy return and Boston's homecoming things still haven't quite settled down to a normal pace around the Keane household. For the moment Professor Utonium was staying there with everyone else until his house could be rebuilt from the ground up. He promised the girls it would be identical to their old house in every detail to make the painful transitions easier for all of them to stomach. The Powerpuff Girls didn't really care about that, they were happy anyway, but they obliged and didn't say anything.  
  
Today however they'd decided to do something really special to celebrate their happy reunion, so they were all packed into the car on their way to the forest on the hill just outside of Townsville for a camping trip. Boston still wasn't sure what the big deal was, the Professor was just another man to him, but his dad seemed to be happy with everything so he let it be as well.  
  
It was very odd for the child actually thinking of anybody as dad. He'd grown up knowing only his angel and she was gone now... the strangest thing was that he found himself not really missing her horribly. Was he a bad son for that... or was he just latching onto his father... it was so confusing.  
  
He looked out the side window as the trees started to pass by against the deep blue sky that was all he could see above the door itself since he was so small.  
  
"Just wait kid, this'll be fun." Brick told him with a smile as he put one hand on his sons' shoulder gently. A whole day and night of nothing but trees and animals around.  
  
"Yuck, I'd rather stay home." Buttercup said from beside him as she stuck out her tongue and crossed her arms over her chest. "Animal's are all dirty, diseased, filthy little vermin who only try to take your food or eat YOU." She said pointedly.  
  
"I don't know babe, I kinda like the birds and the bees personally." Brick let out a mirthful laugh at that, though Boston didn't really see what was so funny. Buttercup blushed and nudged him roughly in the ribs to try and silence him.  
  
"Now settle down kids." Professor Utonium told them from the front seat as he kept his hands on the wheel in front of him. "We'll be there in a few minutes, TRY to get along until we get there."  
  
"Oh we're just playing around Professor." Buttercup replied quickly. He definitely did not know about the extent of Buttercup and Brick's relationship, and as far as they were concerned he didn't need to know. It would only cause unnecessary complications and get them in trouble.  
  
"What we're just discussing things, you know, boy to girl." Brick pointed out with a huge grin on his face. Buttercup looked about to smack the smirk right off of him in a moment.  
  
"Cool it Brick, I don't think you need to keep pressing your luck." Blossom told him tensely in a low voice so the Professor wouldn't hear her. She hated going behind his back, but she wasn't ready to have him mad at them so soon after they finally got back and ruin the camping trip. If she was going to confess about her sister and her boyfriend she would wait until after they were settled in their rebuilt home again.  
  
"Alright alright." Brick whispered back quickly. Boston just watched all of this cluelessly and finally shook his head. He would never understand grown-ups, which they were compared to him. Everyone in the back gave a sigh of relief when the car finally slowed to a stop with trees surrounding them on every side.  
  
"Okay kids, come help me set up camp." The Professor told them as he climbed out of the car to head around to the trunk and get the camping stuff. The Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys all floated out of the car except for Brick, who decided to walk alongside his son. He'd really taken the kid in despite not even knowing of his existence and being so young. The fact that he didn't have to actually provide for him probably helped. Gave him more time to just be a mentor and confidant.  
  
Boston just shrugged to himself as he climbed out of the car to help the others unpack the car. He was already pretty mature himself with everything he'd gone through... everything his angel had done for him... he would never forget it no matter what happened.  
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"Oh look girls." Blossom said as she stared down at the now almost empty Keane residence. Miss Keane and Princess had stayed behind of course, but the others were all gone... "They've left their city defenseless. Time for us to do something bad while they're gone...... any ideas?" She asked as she looked over at her sisters floating beside her.  
  
"Clubhopping!" Bubbles suggested immediately. The other two just stared at her drolly for a few moments, then decided to ignore her. That was all she ever wanted to do.  
  
"I say we finish what we started before when we were back with Him." Buttercup suggested.  
  
"How so?" Blossom asked curiously.  
  
"We all saw how Bubbles reacted when we were beating the hell out of the black lesbo bitch." Buttercup said slyly. "I say we finish her off while they're gone. Who knows, Bubbles may lose all will to fight or live. It'd take care of a lot of our problems with one less Powerpuff Girl to deal with."  
  
"Ooohhh yeah, and I can do it! Make that little lesbian think her crush has come around and BAM! Take her head clear off!" Bubbles laughed viciously along with her sisters for a few minutes as they pondered that.  
  
"One problem with that Bubbles, she's still in a coma. We could still off her though." Blossom said with a malicious grin. "Good enough for now, we can think of something else once we finish this." She agreed as she turned to fly toward the hospital quickly. They were literally created to make the Powerpuff Girls' lives a living hell and they were determined to do just that. No matter who they had to get rid of.  
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Boston was already panting heavily as he dropped The Professor's portable computer equipment to the ground beside the growing pile of supplies they'd brought. He slowly sank down to rest on the grass as he whiped some sweat off of his forehead. He really wasn't strong enough for manual labor yet, he'd only been working for a few minutes.  
  
"Take a rest kiddo, we can handle the rest." Buttercup told him as she floated over his head with a solar-powered grill and barbecue set held over her head. Boston watched her setting it up off to one side of the campsite while the others all set about pitching tents and setting up for the campfire they would sit around that night.  
  
"Alright... I'm gonna go take a look around." Boston told her as he pushed himself up from the grass and brushed his pants off idly.  
  
"Don't go too far. Stay in earshot at least." Buttercup warned him offhandedly while she continued to try to wire up the grill. She didn't mind hands on work and stuff, though she found it kind of boring. She wouldn't have done it for anyone but Professor Utonium.  
  
"I will." He assured her before he turned to head off into the forest alone. He smiled to himself as the foliage far overhead moved along with the slight breeze that rustled through the forest. The shadows on the ground almost looked like they were alive as they moved and swayed with the branches overhead that were casting them.  
  
He stopped and perked one ear up curiously when he heard a soft, twanging music filtering through the bushes beside him from somewhere nearby. He pushed his way through the brush carefully to try and locate the source of the music. It didn't sound too good, but it wasn't really bad either.  
  
"Hello?" He called softly as he pushed through one more pile of pushes. He found himself in a smaller clearing than the one their campsite was located in. Located in the center of it though was a rather modestly sized house built of plain timber with a porch out front. An empty rocking chair rocked gently with the breeze on the porch, but there was no sign of any music. He now realized it had stopped cold when he'd spoken.  
  
"What're you doin' here!" Boston whirled to the side quickly in time to stare straight down the wide barrel of a shotgun aimed right at his head. His hands shot straight up into the air in an instantly and he gave a yelp of panic as he watched a pink furred finger carefully running along the surface of the trigger. He couldn't help but wonder WHY he hadn't taken Buttercup's advice and stayed near the camp site...  
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Bubbles grinned to herself as she floated up to the hospital room window with her sisters beside her. "I'll go in and finish her off really quickly while you guys wait out here." She told the others as she peeked her head in the window. She could see the limp form lying on the bed under the cover. The bandage had been removed once she'd been declared in stable condition. Her face was now horribly deformed, one cheek would always be sunken on and her forehead was now uneven to the point of looking like her skull had caved in... which it had.  
  
"Alright, go ahead." Blossom told her with a slight nod. "You started it anyway, you might as well finish it." Bubbles nodded back with a grin before she floated in through the window and went over next to the bed.  
  
Silently she pulled the curtain that separated the hospital room closed around the unconscious girls' bed before floating up to stare down at her intently. Her breath pushed the hospital blanket up and down in a steady rhythm as the Whoopass Girl slowly floated above her, staring down at her coldly.  
  
"Poor little bitch, always sad when someone's just a victim of circumstance isn't it?" She said mockingly as she slowly reached one hand toward the girls throat. Just before her hand touched the tender skin she heard a soft rumble coming from somewhere in Eli's chest.  
  
"Bubbles..." The dark skinned girl on the bed whispered weakly as one eye slowly flitted open to stare up at her. At first the Whoopass Girl thought she was caught and Eli would call for help. In a moment though she realized that the black girl thought she was her counterpart. She could take real advantage of this, crush her spirit like she'd wanted to in the first place.  
  
"Y... yeah I'm right here." Bubbles finally shook her head and let herself fall into this little deception. She would wait until she had Eli totally convinced, then strike in one sudden, fatal blow. She would never know what hit her.  
  
"I knew you'd be here..." Elibell said softly as she reached one hand up to grasp Bubbles' own. Their eyes met for a few moments while the Whoopass Girl tried to figure out how to respond to that.  
  
"Where else would I be?" She finally replied as she squeezed the weak looking girls' hand back. Eli smiled up at her slightly and tried to sit up. She still obviously wasn't totally recovered from everything because she just fell back against the bed on her own. To the blond girls' surprise tears came suddenly to the eyes of the black girl.  
  
"It still hurts a little bit..." She gasped out as she reached one hand up to wipe at them quickly. "My head... I don't think it'll ever go away..." She sat up again, this time pulling against Bubbles to help support her somewhat. The Whoopass Girl simply floated in place to watch her curiously, waiting for her chance to strike.  
  
"It'll get better, I know it will." Bubbles lied smoothly, putting on her most innocent face. It really didn't look much like the Powerpuff Girl as far as attitude went, but Eli was occupied anyway.  
  
Eli's face was a mask of pain and doubt as one hand slowly slid along the curves of her face. She could tell just from the touch that she no longer held the smooth perfection she'd once been able to lay claim to. She stared up at Bubbles sorrowfully and clutched her hands even tighter as she gave a slight gulp. "H... how do I look..." She asked with a trembling voice and hand.  
  
Bubbles stared back at her intently for a long while. "You look..." She began to speak, but trailed off as something seemed wrong to her. This was the perfect chance, tell her she looked like a humpback or just plain ugly. It would be easy and it'd break her will almost instantly. "You look..." Again she trailed off. Despite everything she could sense something coming from Eli that she'd never felt before. The girl was looking to her for nothing more than comfort and a wall to lean against now when she was weakest. The strongest relationship the Whoopass Girl had ever known was purely sexual but this... this was different.  
  
Those gleaming tear streaked eyes stared up at her, pleading her to give some sign of comfort and help her. Sure she still thought that she was the Powerpuff Girl, but for some reason Bubbles couldn't help but enjoy this bit of... affection. "You look... beautiful..." She finally said as she lifted one hand to run it along the now deformed cheek.  
  
Elibell smiled up at her and gave a choking sob just before she yanked the smaller girl into a fierce hug. Her face buried itself into the smaller girls' shoulder quickly just before she started sobbing again. The tears fell against Bubbles' shoulder unhindered as the Whoopass Girl slowly put her arms around the much bigger girl as best she could.  
  
After awhile Elibell finally pulled back slightly and set her forehead gently against that of the Whoopass Girl, staring into her eyes sadly. Within them was so much that had gone unspoken. Bubbles got the feeling that no matter how much she'd done to the girls' face, it was the Powerpuff Girls' lack of interest in her that really upset her.  
  
"I knew you would... wouldn't leave me alone..." Eli whispered to her in a soft, almost wanting whisper. Her eyes bore into Bubbles' own intently, at once comforted and comforting in some way the Whoopass Girl had never known. She was on top of the world right now, about to strike one down for her sisters... but still something in those eyes made her feel like she was nothing more than a frightened child.  
  
Before she could react at all she felt the black girls' lips pressing gently against hers, seeking the affection that the Powerpuff Girl had never thought to give her and likely never would. Bubbles, though she hated the idea of being a lesbian as much as her counterpart, lost herself in that moment. The sheer emotion that Eli exuded overwhelmed every one of her senses and pulled her into its hold no matter what she came here to do.  
  
All sense of duty or evil was gone by now as Eli slowly leaned back on the bed again, pulling Bubbles down with her. She knew her sisters were probably watching and fuming... wondering what she thought she was doing. She really didn't know, but she for some reason felt better than she ever had in her life right in this instant. Consequences be damned, she wanted this affection, she wouldn't leave it behind for anything now...  
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"I said what're ya doin' here!?" The same voice shouted again angrily as one fuzzy hand reached up to grip the barrel of the shotgun that was still pointed at a quivering and very frightened Boston. The voice had a thick southern drawl to it that only a certain kind of person really had.  
  
"I was just exploring and I heard music! Please don't kill me!" Boston replied quickly, his hands staying firmly in the air.  
  
"You look like a Powerpuff Girl to me!" The voice said venomously. Boston wasn't sure who it was, but it was obvious that he didn't really like the girls.  
  
"I'm not! I'm not even a girl!" The boy clenched his eyes closed in dread anticipation as he spoke.  
  
"Oh yeh? Prove it!" The voice demanded firmly. Boston thought about that for a few minutes, then finally reached down and pushed his pants down enough to prove that he was indeed a boy. He pulled them up again quickly, blushing furiously and still quivering. "Hmm... well alright..." The figure finally lowered the shotgun enough for Bricks' son to see more than just the barrel. He looked like a pink bear wearing a pair of overalls... or he had once been pink. Most of the hair on his body had turned a fine silvery color and his eyes had dark circles under them.  
  
"Thank you..." Boston finally let himself breathe a sigh of relief and lean his hands against his knees wearily. They shot up again though when the bear thing raised the shotgun at him again.  
  
"But yer still on my property!" The man shouted fiercely.  
  
"Okay I'm sorry I'll leave!" Boston squeezed his eyes shut again, praying the man would just let him go.  
  
Finally after a few long minutes of tense silence the figure lowered the gun to his side completely. "Aw git outta here." He grumbled before he turned to head slowly back toward the porch in front of the small cabin. Boston opened his eyes and watched curiously as the rather plump looking figure dropped the shotgun by the chair and picked up a home made guitar with one hand before he plopped himself down on his chair.  
  
"Um..." Boston stood for a moment unsure of what to do. Finally he took a deep breath and walked toward the figure slowly. He recognized him from descriptions the Powerpuff Girls had given when they'd recounted some of their battles. "Excuse me... what's your name?" He asked curiously.  
  
"I thought I told ya ta git offa my property?" The aged looking creature replied with a dark smirk.  
  
"Fuzzy Lumpkins?" Boston insisted as he climbed the small wooden steps up to the porch to stare at the bigger creature intently. "Buttercup used to tell me about you... she said you were strong, but dumber than a bag of hammers." He covered him mouth quickly when he realized his mistake.  
  
"Well perhaps I was, I don't remember no more." Fuzzy replied as his fingers expertly strummed over the thin wires of his guitar. "My old age catchin' up ta me I suppose." He said idly.  
  
"Old age? Aren't you only around your thirties?" Boston asked confusedly.  
  
"Woodland creatures age faster than you people it seems like." Fuzzy replied as he cast the boy a steady gaze. "My life's comin' to an end sometime soon. I don't know when, but I figure it don't matter anyhow." He said as he reached over to grab a pipe. He stuck the small end in his mouth while he lit up the other end.  
  
"Oh... yeah I can see how that would work..." Boston said softly. "Well you don't seem like such a bad guy. I mean Buttercup always said you were a big, dumb, evil oaf who's caused more trouble than almost anyone." He'd forgotten about what he should and should not say in his avid curiosity. "Then you just vanished from sight awhile ago, stopped coming around."  
  
"Well perhaps I realized I have better things to do than tangle with those Powerpuff Girls and that stupid city." Fuzzy replied. "Little time left, I want ta just enjoy it while I can. Won't last much longer." His fingers almost unconsciously began to play a bright little tune nimbly against the face of his instrument.  
  
"Why didn't you do that from the beginning instead of terrorizing Townsville all the time?" Boston asked with genuine curiosity.  
  
"I tried... but those city folk keep makin' a ruckus and disturbin' everythin' they get their loud little eyes on." Fuzzy replied. Boston just stared at him blankly, trying to figure out just what that was supposed to mean. "How 'bout you? Ya look an awful lot like them Powerpuff Girls. But I ain't never seen ya before. Where'd ya come from?" He asked steadily.  
  
"Yeah I do look like them I guess..." Boston muttered as he looked down at his fingerless hands blankly. He'd always hated this, having all of the deformations but none of the powers of his father... "I was just born this way... at least that's what my angel told me... my first memory was three years ago..."  
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Bubbles knew she wouldn't be able to think the same way again after this. True affection was already growing on her to the point where she didn't even want to leave this bed. She knew she would have to do what she'd come in here to do eventually though, finish what she'd started. She wasn't at all sure if she could make herself do it, she didn't want to... but if she didn't her sisters would get suspicious and she didn't want to disappoint them...  
  
She sighed sadly and looked up at Elibell's face at the head of the bed. The Whoopass Girl was currently curled up like a kitten on the bigger girls stomach. The thin hospital gown felt rough against her chin and cheek, but she didn't really notice since she'd taken gunfire and blows like they were absolutely nothing. Eli had fallen asleep a few minutes ago, still weak from recovering from the beating Bubbles herself had given to her. For the first time in her life, she felt regret for her actions before.  
  
She turned her head toward the window when she heard hushed voices calling her name fiercely. Those would be her sisters ready to chew her out for becoming weak... well she would take whatever they gave her.  
  
Carefully she pulled herself out of the blanket and settled it firmly against Eli again before turning to float over to the window. She slid it open and floated outside to look up and meet the angry scowls of her sisters.  
  
"Bubbles, what on EARTH do you think you're doing? You were supposed to KILL her not KISS her!" Blossom said angrily. "Get back in there and finish her off!" She howled fiercely.  
  
"Look guys, maybe we could just leave her alone. I mean she will have to live with looking like a hunchback now, isn't that punishment enough?" Bubbles asked though she knew it was hopeless at this point.  
  
"Get in there and KILL her Bubbles!" Buttercup snapped irritably as she stared at her sister with her arms crossed over her chest. "Either you do it or we do, you decide." She said darkly.  
  
"N... no I'll do it..." Bubbles told them softly as she turned to stare into the window at the sleeping form on the bed. She shivered at the recent memory of her skin brushing against the black skin of the bigger girl... "I'll take care of it..." She repeated softly as she pushed the window open and floated into the room slowly. She could feel her sister staring through the window at her as she approached the bed slowly.  
  
She didn't want to do this, but if she didn't not only would her sisters do it but they'd never trust her again. She didn't allow herself much more time to think as she floated up to Elibell's side... and hesitated once again as she stared down at that deformed... but not peaceful and content face. She'd molded that face herself both by beating her, and then comforting her... so much impact. It had always been easy for her to beat up someone who was nothing more than a stupid person, a lesbo of the worst kind... but it felt different now.  
  
"I... I'm sorry..." She said softly as she reached one hand toward the still sleeping form of Elibell on the bed. She closed her eyes tightly so she wouldn't have to see anything as she made her hand inch even closer than ever... she could feel the black girls' breath against her hand now. One quick jerk was all it'd take to snap her neck and get it over with. If she could just make herself do it...  
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"My angel told me when I grew up a bit that I was different... that was why I was conscious almost right after my birth. I could think and feel right from then, but I could not move or speak. I don't know if the doctors knew, I never even saw them. They didn't know that I knew when they dumped me in an alley because my mother had died and she had no family... no orphanage would take me in because I looked different. They simply dumped me out with the garbage... or so my angel told me."  
  
"My first memory was of a night... I was cold and there was a lot of noise echoing around me. Looking back, it was probably thunder. All I knew was I was alone, and scared to death. I was also freezing and wet with water running over me... rain I think. That would seem to make the most sense looking back on it all."  
  
"All I could do was cry my little lungs out. I cried until I was hoarse and then I cried some more... I was barely breathing I was so desperate for anything to help me. I was just confused and in pain, I needed somebody to come and find me... I guess some part of me was praying though I didn't know what that was because my prayers were answered."  
  
"A darkness came over me and for awhile I think I thought I was dead or something... but I didn't care. Something picked me up and held me, it was blissfully warm wrapped around me like a blanket. I was no longer cold, wet, or scared thanks to this thing, but oddly the only part of it I remember was a pair of green eyes in the darkness, that was the only time before recently I ever saw my angel materialized before me..."  
  
"I was just a baby at the time physically, but mentally I was aware... and she could somehow see that. She spoke directly into my mind and in fact joined me in it to make us the same person. With her powers she helped me to grow and develop far faster than any human being could ever dream to grow. She also taught me about my parents, my father... she told me he was evil. Did she lie to me... now that I think of it... what else was a lie...?"  
  
"She taught me to fight and how to coordinate with her to get things done until my own muscles were toned enough to live off of. We lived peacefully for three years until she decided it was time to go to Townsville and find my father... make him pay for what he did to me. I fought him once with my angel... no that's not right... she's no angel I know now... I faced him with Mange's help and we were defeated by the group of them..."  
  
"Now Mange is gone, a victim of the time when the life force was being sucked out of the world itself. I still thought she was right no matter what... until she left and never returned to me. She may not really be an angel but... she is like a mother to me. I wish she would return but I don't see that happening and now I live with my dad and his girlfriend and their siblings. Maybe someday I'll know for sure what happened to my mother and even me before I became fully conscious..."  
  
"That is how I came to be. No more and no less, and this is what I am now. Boston Keane... or Utonium... or whatever they decide to call me. As far as I'm concerned though... I just am me."  
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Bubbles' hand quaked furiously as it rested against the dark skinned cheek, ready to give the final twist that would end Elibell's life and get her in good with her sisters again. She still couldn't do it though, she knew right then that she'd never make herself. Her nerves were clenched when Eli opened her eyes with a slight groan to look up at her. She gave a warm smile and put one hand against the hand on her cheek, unaware that she was now fighting for her life.  
  
"Hey... guess I'm still a little weak from... before..." She spoke haltingly as she stared into the light blue eyes that were still gazing down at her. For a moment Bubbles was afraid she knew that she wasn't the Powerpuff Girl, but finally she realized that she didn't. She was just saying for general information...  
  
"Yeah... it's alright, no problem..." Bubbles' gaze slid down toward the floor as she spoke. She knew better than to be optimistic about anything, soon her sisters would realize she wasn't going to go through with it and kill Eli themselves.  
  
"Are you okay? I'm sorry I worried you..." Eli said softly from the bed as she pulled the Whoopass Girl down to sit on the edge of the mattress beside her. Bubbles looked up at her as steadily as she possibly could, asking herself why this girl had to be so affectionate...  
  
"I..." Bubbles started to speak, but she was cut off when Blossom and Buttercup floated in through the window, looking extremely upset and violent. The blond haired girl knew it was over then, they would take care of everything and she would go back to what she had been...  
  
"Oh hey." Elibell waved at them in greeting at first before she noticed the expressions they both wore. In a few moments she slowly lowered her hand with a quizzical expression on her face. "Is something wrong you guys?" She asked worriedly.  
  
"You should have done it Bubbles." Blossom smirked darkly as she spoke, her eyes never leaving her sister. "I don't know what's gotten into you but it needs to stop right NOW."  
  
"Do what... Bubbles what's going on?" Elibell's voice shook somewhat as she looked up at the floading blond above her. Bubbles didn't meet her gaze, but just floated away from her slowly backwards while her sisters advanced on her. "Bubbles..."  
  
"Haven't you figured it out yet lesbo, that's no Powerpuff Girl you just buffed with." Buttercup let out a mocking laugh as she floated up right next to the bed. "Doesn't she look familiar, or maybe her fist does anyway." She said with a dark sneer.  
  
"Wh... what..." Eli's voice was little more than a squeak as she quickly looked over at Bubbles again. Her face was a mask of shocked horror that practically broke the Whoopass Girl right there. "N... no..."  
  
"Hurry up Buttercup, finish her off and let's get out of here." Blossom said nonchalantly.  
  
"It'll be my pleasure." Buttercup shot one hand out quickly to grab Eli by the throat and lift her up off the hospital bed easily. "I've been waiting a good while to do this lesbo." She said with a fierce sneer. "Say goodnight." Slowly one fist raised above her head. Elibell was already weak, one more blow might just finish her off completely.  
  
"Wait!" Bubbles shouted suddenly, causing her sister to look over at her drolly. She knew they wouldn't care if she showed feelings for the girl, they would kill her anyway to get the old Bubbles back. There was only one way to save her... "You know I don't care about her... f*cking lesbo..." she chose her words carefully as she spoke. "But wouldn't it be so much more fun to watch her try to explain to Bubbles why she did it with her worst enemy?" When she was finished she couldn't make herself look at the black girl dangling from her sisters' grip.  
  
"Hmm..." Blossom stared at her thoughtfully for a moment, then looked back up at the girl still dangling from Buttercup's grip. "That is a good point... I knew you wouldn't go against us." She grinned and waved to Buttercup to let the girl go.  
  
Buttercup growled in disappointment, but dropped the girl to the bed heavily. "Don't get attached to your life it's still over, you just get to play a little longer." She snarled darkly before she floated down to join Blossom on the floor.  
  
"Come on girls, let's get out of here." Blossom gave the black girl a dark grin before she turned away to leave. "We just get to wait and watch the fireworks once they happen." Her and Buttercup both laughed gleefully as they floated out the window side by side.  
  
Bubbles followed more slowly, stopping at the window to look back at the girl still huddled on the bed. Those same eyes that had moments before held all the warmth and love she could imagine were now cold and betrayed as they stared back at her. It nearly broke her before she managed to pull her gave away and turn to follow her sisters out the window. She wished she could stay here with her, but that would only make both of their lives hell... if only...  
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Boston simply stared back at Fuzzy as he stared at him blankly with the pipe in his mouth. For a while the kid was almost afraid he'd died or something but he was still breathing so he gave the creature a few more minutes.  
  
"Well git along now." Fuzzy finally said, thrusting the neck of his guitar at the forest to signify he wanted to be alone.  
  
"That's it?" Boston asked disappointed. He'd told the truth, but he'd made it as dramatic as possible to get some sort of response. Maybe he'd laid it on too thick.  
  
"Yep..." Fuzzy replied though his eyes narrowed and his mouth turned up in a small crook in the corner of it. "And y'all don't come back now, ya hear?" He said firmly.  
  
"Uh... sure..." Boston replied as he turned to head back to the campsite where the others were probably wondering where he went. Aw well like it mattered what the fuzzball thought... well he did care a bit he supposed. He might be the last person to see Fuzzy Lumpkins alive. That was a morbid thought, one he would have preferred not to entertain. Well it was too late now, time to just go on with the life he had now and try to forget about the past... no matter how little he knew of it for sure as it was.  
  
THE END 


	8. 307- Homesick

307- Homesick   
  
  
The Powerpuff Girls were all jabbering excitedly to each other while the boys simply sat in silence, waiting to reach their destination. The girls were used to waiting in cars to reach their destination, but aside from Boston the Rowdyruff Boys had almost always flown where they wanted to go. This was more than a little boring, but they decided to stick it out for the sake of the girls' sanity. The Professors' house had finally been completed and they were on their way to check it out.  
  
Finally after what seemed like a several hour ride the car slid easily to a stop and the Professors' voice floated back to them. "We're here." He told them happily before he opened his door to climb out. Blossom instantly tore the door beside her open and streaked out of the car for a look. Her sisters followed right behind her with the boys coming farther behind since Boston couldn't fly.  
  
All three girls stared up at the front of the house in awe. It looked like an exactly replica of their house before it had been destroyed all those years ago. Except it looked a little taller with more windows... it almost looked like it was three stories instead of the two they'd had before.  
  
The girls puzzled this among themselves as they floated inside the door the Professor had left open... and stopped in absolute shock when they saw the interior. Everything they saw was an exact replica of the things they'd had before, right down to the beach picture above the fireplace and the family portrait hanging on the wall in front of the door. Everything was exactly as it had been.  
  
"I don't believe this..." Blossom whispered so as not to break the almost awe-filled silence that prevailed around the three girls. Their creator just grinned at them in anticipation while they floated a little farther in to survey the area. They could hear the boys coming in behind them, but it didn't have much impact on them since they never saw the place before it was destroyed.  
  
"It's... it's... beautiful..." Bubbles' eyes teared up quickly when she saw her octi sitting on the table. Not only was the house complete but the stuff they'd saved before had already been moved in while they were out camping. She was quickly overwhelmed and started bawling, clutching the stuffed octopus to her tightly. She leaned against the Professor when she felt him hugging her comfortingly.  
  
"Um... I have a question." Blossom said when she finally got over the initial shock of seeing everything exactly as it had been. "The house looked a little bigger from outside..." She didn't even have to finish before the Professor replied.  
  
"I asked them to add a third story. I know there's more of you and you're all growing up so fast, so I decided I should use this chance to give each of you your own rooms." The Professor told her with a sly wink.  
  
"Our own rooms!?" Buttercup's attention was perked instantly. She'd been praying for that since she and Brick had first got together. "Yes! Thank you Professor!" She streaked up to hug him tightly around the neck above the still sobbing Bubbles.  
  
"What's wrong with them?" Boston whispered to the two Rowdyruff Boys who were just sitting and watching all of this curiously.  
  
"It's a girl thing." Brick replied conspiratorially.  
  
"Why don't you kids go upstairs and pick out which rooms you want while I get my lab finished up? There are a few things I have to take care of myself." Professor Utonium suggested as he set Bubbles down since she has finally stopped crying.  
  
"Okay Professor!" The girls agreed before they immediately streaked upstairs. Boomer flew after them while Brick and Boston walked slowly up the stairs after them.  
  
"Look at this..." Buttercup muttered as she floated into what had been the girls' room. It looked exactly the same as it had before, except the bed had no sheets on it. They found six sheets in the closet at the end of the hall of different colors though, probably to signify who had which room.  
  
"I get the old room." Blossom proclaimed as she took the light pink sheets out of the closet and floated back into her new bedroom to claim it as her own.  
  
"Come on, let's explore the third story!" Buttercup suggested as she, Bubbles and Boomer each flew upstairs with their own color coded sheets. Boomers' were a little darker than Bubbles' so they could be told apart. The third story consisted of four bedrooms, each of which was kind of small but were good enough for their purposes, and another bathroom.  
  
"I want this one." Boomer immediately claimed the one closest to the stairs that had an almost midnight blue paint job. He floated inside to set up while the remaining girls floated down the hall, looking in the rest of the rooms. Nothing really thrilled either of them, but eventually they each picked and set about putting their sheets on the beds. Brick and Boston finally made it up to the third story in a few minutes to claim the room they would obviously have to share.  
  
When everyone had picked and set up the six kids made their way back down to the living room where The Professor let most of them watch TV while he helped one of them decorate their new room. Blossoms' room was first since she was on the second story, so she disappeared upstairs while the others waited on the couch for their own turns.  
  
"Man this is going to be so great!" Buttercup couldn't sit still long enough to eve look at the TV as she floated around the room in a big circle. "Our own bedrooms, it's like a dream! No more fighting with Blossom or Bubbles over the blankets!"  
  
"And no more teasing before bed!" Bubbles agreed, giving Buttercup a sharp, but playful glare. The brunette puff just grinned and winked cruelly back at her.  
  
"Agh I can't just sit here. I'm gonna go scope out the training room and see if it's the same." Buttercup told the others as she floated over to the door that led down to the basement laboratory.  
  
"I think I'll join you." Brick quickly floated from the couch and followed behind her, leaving Boston sitting on the couch with Boomer and Bubbles. He floated directly behind his girlfriend as she made her way through the lab to a small section with a computer console that looked into a slightly bigger room that almost looked like a holo-grid from a TV show he'd seen a few times.  
  
"Whoa, I think it's been improved a little." Buttercup commented as she looked down at the controls. There were no longer any dials, but instead there were plenty of pressure sensitive buttons and LCD's.  
  
"Maybe we should wait for the Professor before we touch it." Brick suggested worriedly.  
  
"Ah come on, I've worked it before. Let's just give it a try... unless you're afraid I'd beat you." Buttercup grinned at him challengingly as she pushed a few buttons on the console. Brick smirked back and shrugged as he headed into the holo-area. His girlfriend followed him in a few moments and closed the door, completing the circuit and starting the program.  
  
In a few moments the grid shifted into that of a plain wooden dojo with both of them wearing karate gi's and holding a staff. They both looked down at the weapons and their new outfits curiously.  
  
"Definitely improved... but it has been almost a decade since we've been in here." Buttercup grinned and swung her staff over her head easily, giving him a challenging grin. "I like it." She told him with a wink as she gripped the staff in both hands and tensed for battle.  
  
"Don't think I'll go easy because you're a girl." Brick replied teasingly, accepting the challenge and raising his own staff in front of him. They stared each other down for a few moments before they both lunged in streaks of colored light.  
  
Their staffs struck with enough force to have shattered real wood into splinters, but luckily these weren't real. Brick gave the first real assault, swinging the staff in huge arcs and kicking out with his feet when the bo was behind him. Buttercup nimbly dodged and deflected every strike with reflexes well honed by countless fights with monsters and even an occasional tumble with Brick himself.  
  
Finally Buttercup thrust her staff against his hard enough to knock him off balance and gain herself the advantage, pressing forward and swinging in shorter but more graceful arcs. Brick dodged quickly and blocked just as quickly as she had just moments before, dodging every strike she threw and countering with a few of his own, which were also dodged.  
  
Brick managed to knock her staff out of the way and thrust his in an upward swing, but she caught the staff between her legs and latched on. She did a forward barrel roll to absorb the impact and tear the staff from his grasp, bringing her own staff down hard on him. His bo went flying through the air away from him while he was thrown down toward the ground from the force of the blow.  
  
He blocked her next strike with his arms, but the force still sent him hurdling into the hard wooden floor of the dojo with a thunderous crash. Buttercup threw her staff to the side and flew down to pin him to the ground, grinning at him victoriously.  
  
"One two three, I win." She grinned as she stared down at him. They were both sweating and panting from the ferocity of the fight, but both had enjoyed it immensely. Brick smirked as he stared back up at her, just lying on the ground and recovering his strength. His arms stung from that last blow and his back would probably be bruised tomorrow, but he was well enough otherwise.  
  
They looked over at the door of the training room as it opened, interrupting the energy flow and dissolving the dojo back into the grid. Buttercup and Brick were left in their normal clothing, but they were still as sweaty and tired as ever. Professor Utonium smiled at them knowingly from the door as he just stared at them expectantly.  
  
"Our turns already?" Buttercup tried to sound casual despite her short breath as she climbed off of her boyfriend and floated obediently out of the training room. Brick followed close behind her, trying not to meet The Professor's gaze if he could possibly help it.  
  
When they emerged into the living room they found it empty except for Boston who was waiting impatiently on the couch. A quick glance at the clock showed that two hours had passed while they were in the training room.  
  
"Whoa, how did that happen?" Buttercup mused to herself.  
  
"Come on kids, let's go get your rooms finished so we can call it a day." Professor Utonium told them firmly as he started up the stairs with Boston behind him. The Powerpuff Girl and Rowdyruff Boy exchanged a somewhat worried glance as they followed him upstairs. "Boston, you go in your room and decide what you want to do while I have a talk with your dad." He went in Buttercups room while the three-year-old shrugged and went in his room. The two heroes followed the Professor.  
  
"Sit down please." Professor Utonium gestured to the bed as he shut the door behind the three of them. Buttercup and Brick sat on the edge of the bed slowly.  
  
"Look Professor what happened in the training room... it wasn't what it was looking like I promise..." Buttercup said before he could even say a word.  
  
"I know Buttercup, I was watching toward the end." The Professor replied. "I trust you two to not do anything you would regret and to not let Boston in on anything he shouldn't know... I know you're growing up and I've accepted that." He told them with a reassuring smile.  
  
"If that's not it then... what's this about?" Brick asked confusedly.  
  
"Actually it concerns Boston..." The Professor told him somewhat tensely. "I'm not really sure if staying here is the best thing for him."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Brick demanded defensively.  
  
"I'm not sure if staying here with you would be a good idea Brick. You're too young to teach him and as he grows things will only get more complicated." The Professor replied as gently as he could.  
  
"So you're just taking him away from me?" Brick demanded.  
  
"No not at all. I'm leaving the final decision up to you of course... I only want you to consider what might be best for everyone." The Powerpuff Girls' creator told him before taking a deep, steadying breath. "I know you're his father and all but I don't know if you really know how to be a father..."  
  
"I may be young, and I may still be trying to figure some things out but I know what love is..." Brick looked over at Buttercup meaningfully as he spoke. "I know love and I know responsibility... I made a mistake four years ago but I won't let Boston suffer for it by sending him away because things might get weird." He said firmly. "I want him to stay with me and that's my decision..." The other two stared at him in stunned silence for a few minutes before the Professor spoke.  
  
"I was hoping you would say that." The Professor smiled warmly and pulled the Rowdyruff Boy into a familiar hug. "Well then now that the unpleasantness is out of the way, why don't we get back to the task at hand?" He suggested lightly as he picked up Buttercup to hold them both in his arms. They were both a little old to be carried, but they just let him have his way.  
  
"Can I get a tattoo?" Buttercup asked with a charming smile.  
  
"We're decorating the room not you." The Professor told her with a smirk as they went about decorating everything to her exact specifications.  
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[We're FINALLY home again and it feels great!] Blossom typed quickly on the keyboard of her laptop as she sat as her brand new desk. The entire room was full of her stuff plus some new things the Professor had bought for them to use to make their rooms like a bit nicer. [I don't know how things could possibly go any better for us. We have our Professor back, Him's gone, there's nobody stalking us anymore with Mange gone besides maybe those dumb Whoopass Girls. Everything's just... perfect. Especially Boomer...] She stopped typing when she heard a soft knock on the door. Speak of the devil...  
  
She smiled to herself as she got up from her computer chair to float over and open the door. As she'd expected Boomer floated on the other side with a smile on his face. "Hey, finish your room already?" Blossom asked him as she floated back over to save and close her diary file.  
  
"Yeah, didn't really get that much... did I interrupt something?" He asked apologetically as he floated in after her. The room was redecorated from before with the bed underneath the windows and her makeup stand sitting where the bed had once been. There were also assorted other dressers and drawers for other things she'd collect sometime.  
  
"Nah don't worry about it. I was just typing in my diary." She told him. She wasn't sure why she told him after she said it, but she just trusted him.  
  
"Oh, didn't know you had one of those." Boomer said curiously.  
  
"Yeah well it helps me unwind sometimes to get my thoughts out..." She felt a little silly once she'd told him that. Of all people he'd know that about her, she'd confessed more to him than anyone else would ever see from her.  
  
"Yeah..." He smiled back at her knowingly and nodded. For a few minutes they just stood in somewhat uncomfortable silence until he spoke again. "Any cool computer games or anything?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah I just got a new one called Wing Commander Retribution..." Blossom told him as she walked over to the laptop to boot up the game. "I like it personally, wanna try it out?" She asked.  
  
"Sure, sounds good to me." Boomer walked over to sit in the computer chair while she pulled up another chair from the round table close by she planned to use for strategy planning and team meetings and such. She didn't think she'd need it today so it was fine to borrow a chair. She smiled to herself happily as she guided him through the menu screens and control layout.  
  
"So just shoot those other ships? Sounds simple enough." Boomer said as he took control of his craft.  
  
"Not that... one..." Blossom smirked to herself as he fired a missile at his own wingman blowing him into dust fairly quickly.  
  
"Oh he was on my side? Cool." Boomer smiled and hit the pause button. "Maybe I should try this a bit later.  
  
"Yeah maybe." Blossom shook her head ironically and smiled back as she reached over him to turn off the game. She could feel him watching her as she leaned over him, but she decided not to comment until she'd turned off the game and pulled back.  
  
"So anything else in my room interest you?" She asked him as she gestured grandly to the rest of her furniture around her.  
  
"Only one thing I can think of." Boomer replied, staring straight at her with a smile. She blushed slightly and looked away from him, causing him to chuckle good-naturedly.  
  
"You know we shouldn't do anything really big until we're more grown up, we've talked about that a hundred times." She reminded him as she floated over to sit on the edge of her bed.  
  
"I didn't mean that and you know it." Boomer smiled mischievously and floated over to sit beside her. "I know you don't want to do anything for a few years... but surely a kiss or two every now and then can't hurt can it?" She looked over at him with narrowed eyes, but he already had on the biggest puppy dog eyes he knew how to make.  
  
"Boomer I have a lot to do and I can't be distracted by stuff like that..." She trailed off as she just stared at him. She always went to him when she needed someone to rely on or just to comfort her and here she was denying the only thing he asked of her. What could a few kisses hurt and it'd make him as happy as he helped make her most of the time.  
  
"I know you... sometimes you need a distraction. Whether you know it or not." He told her as he brushed one hand across her cheek. She had to admit the tactile contact felt good as he leaned his face in to kiss her gently on the lips. The only time they'd even really kissed aside from small pecks was in that first dream where they'd gotten together.  
  
She pushed her lips out slightly to meet his as he gently ran his hand through her long red hair and down her neck. She felt her body tingling in response as his hands brushed over her skin oh so very gently, hardly seeming like more than a feather that had blown across her path.  
  
They held their kiss for a long while, wrapping their arms around each other and simply enjoying their proximity to each other. Finally after what felt like forever they broke their kiss and she pulled away from him slightly. Their mouths curled up into a pair of smiles as they simply gazed at each other for a long while before Blossom finally spoke.  
  
"You're right... that's a wonderful way to pass the time." She agreed with a happy smile. Boomer smiled back in a few moments, running his hand along her back slowly almost like he was making sure she was really there. She let out a soft sigh and pulled him into a firm hug as she rested her head on his shoulder. Of all the times she was happy to be a Powerpuff Girl, spending time with this Rowdyruff Boy was rapidly becoming her favorite... as if it hadn't been for the last few weeks, or maybe even years. She just enjoyed his presence, and hoped he'd stay for as long as they could be together.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Bubbles stood in the center of her room looking around happily at the arrangement she'd finally settled on. Her bed was up against the middle of the wall right across from the door with her dressers lining the wall to the left. On the right was a giant blackboard like they had in school that covered the entire wall. She also had a colorful assortment of dry erase markers she could use to doodle whatever she wanted onto it, essentially redecorating her room every time she got the urge to draw something.  
  
The smile didn't leave her face until she walked over to the nightstand beside her bed and picked up her Octi doll to look at it steadily. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was changing inside of her. She knew she was changing physically, that had started at Miss Keane's about a year ago, but it was something else now... something deeper inside of her somewhere.  
  
She gave a small sigh as she floated over to put Octi on top of one of the line of dressers. It almost looked like a relic she was only keeping because she had liked it once. She wasn't at all sure she liked that feeling, Octi had always been able to comfort her before until lately when she'd been feeling a bit odd... a bit lonely perhaps...  
  
She shook that thought away quickly and floated over to the blackboard. It was just silly to be lonely in a house full of sisters and boys. How could she be lonely with so many people around her all the time?  
  
Idly she picked up the markers from the stands at the bottom of the board and uncovered them, putting them up to the blackboard to start drawing in quick, easy strokes. She was long practiced at making things in proportion and after so long she could easily handle the scale of the blackboard after a little practice. She didn't even feel like she was controlling her hand anymore as it moved gracefully across the slick white surface leaving colored streaks in its wake.  
  
Finally she took a moment to float back and see what she'd done... and gasped in pleasant surprise when she saw a life sized drawing of herself. She looked very flat since it was pretty impossible to shade with markers on a blackboard, but otherwise it was an incredible likeness. Beside her though there was a question mark that the drawn Bubbles was holding with one hand.  
  
Curiously Bubbles touched the question mark with one hand. Her hand came away with red ink on it, but otherwise everything was fine. She just stared at it curiously for a long while, trying to figure this out. She didn't remember drawing the question mark... what could it mean?  
  
Curiously she grabbed the eraser and got rid of both the picture of herself and the mysterious mark, then picked up the markers and started drawing again. She tried not to think about anything as her hands drew in quick, sure strokes. She didn't know what she was drawing, but obviously her body did because it didn't hesitate for a moment.  
  
She tried to concentrate until finally she floated back to look over her handiwork. There was a large red heart in the dead center of the blackboard. Inside of it was Bubbles' head, and beside that was, once again, the question mark.  
  
"Weird..." She muttered to herself as she shrugged and floated toward the board to erase it again. She turned around when she heard her bedroom door open. Boston walked into the room, looking around curiously at all of the stuffed animals on top of the dressers and the picture still on the blackboard.  
  
"This room's bigger than ours... we don't even have two beds." The small boy said with a wry smirk on his face.  
  
"Yeah well I guess I'm cuter." Bubbles stuck out her tongue playfully. "What are you doing in here? Where's your dad? And the Professor?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Dad's kissing Buttercup." Boston stuck out his own tongue distastefully. "Professor's downstairs making some special dinner to celebrate." Bubbles giggled as the boy wandered over to the dressers and opened one.  
  
"Hey!" Bubbles quickly ran over to push the drawer shut again before he could see inside. "Don't look through a girls' things." She chided him knowledgeably.  
  
"I didn't!" Boston complained innocently.  
  
"Yes you did!" Bubbles told him.  
  
"Did not." Boston retorted.  
  
"Did too!" Bubbles shouted.  
  
"Did not, did not, did not!"  
  
"Did too, did too, did too!"  
  
"I didn't see anything in there, you closed it too fast." Boston told her logically with one hand raised in the air like a scientist.  
  
"Well... you still tried, so don't do that." Bubbles stuck her tongue out at him again and he stuck his back out at her. They both just made grunting noises with their tongues hanging out for a few minutes until Bubbles finally sucked her tongue back in and grabs Bostons'.  
  
"Hey, et gho!" Boston complained as she pulled him around the room by his tongue. Bubbles giggled and pulled it one more time before she let him pull it back into his mouth again. "That hurt..." He rubbed his cheek and glared at her.  
  
"Well you should learn to respect the privacy of others." Bubbles told him like she knew everything he would need to know. Boston just smirked at her and walked over to the blackboard, seeing the picture that was still there for the first time since he'd come in.  
  
"What's that?" He asked curiously as he stared up at the giant red heart with Bubbles' face and a question mark inside of it.  
  
"Oh nothing, just something I drew a few minutes ago." Bubbles told him as nonchalantly as she could.  
  
"It's pretty... hey can you draw a bird?" Boston asked with the kind of excitement only youth could possess. Under it all though he still seemed a bit down like he usually was.  
  
"Of course." Bubbles grabbed the eraser and got rid of the heart quickly before she grabbed her markers again. Boston ran over to sit on the couch and watch her work as she started making her usual quick easy strokes. He sat in silent admiration as a picture slowly started to take shape across the entire span of the blackboard.  
  
Bubbles moved in a blue streak from one part to the next, gauging size and comparing color as the picture started showing more form until after only ten minutes had passed Bubbles finished up and floated back to admire her work. A giant bald eagle stood perched on a tree branch with its wings spread out to encompass the entire length of the board. Its eyes seemed to stare at the bed almost as if it were a nest.  
  
"Wow..." Boston broke into a quick applause and jumped up from the bed with a grin. "That's amazing!" Bubbles blushed brightly and gave a little curtsey in his direction.  
  
"Thank you thank you, to all my loyal fans!" She waved playfully with a grin on her face as Boston walked up to look at the eagle up close.  
  
"Wow... it's a like a museum piece you can touch." Boston said in awe as he reached one hand out to touch one of the birds talons. His hand came away yellow and a piece was missing from the bird. "Okay maybe you can't touch." He quickly wiped his hand off on his shirt.  
  
Bubbles giggled as she grabbed the yellow marker to fill in the blank space again. "Yeah you have to be careful, but no I don't think it's THAT good." She blushed slightly at the idea of her little doodle being in a museum and kneeled down beside him, making them the same height. "So, what would you like to do now before dinner's ready?"  
  
"Let's go play a video game." Boston suggested as he shrugged his little shoulders. Bubbles thought about that for a moment as she climbed to her feet. She was only a head taller than the kid even though she was nearly ten years his senior.  
  
"Just a second..." Bubbles said as she floated back over to the dresser with her Octi on top. She grabbed the octopus off of it and floated back over to join Boston on the ground again. "Here, you can have this." She told him as she handed him the stuffed animal.  
  
"What is it?" Boston asked confusedly as he looked down at the purple octopus.  
  
"It's Octi, my favorite friend in the world. I thought you might like to use him since you're, you know, still younger..." She said almost wistfully. She knew it was about time she grew up and started acting her age, so she really should get rid of her stuffed animals. This way at least someone could enjoy the comfort the toy had always given her when she was depressed.  
  
"Wow... uh... thanks." Boston smiled up at her a bit uneasily, but he held the octopus to his chest all the same. "I'll keep it in my room." He told her with a more genuine smile. She smiled back and patted his head gently before she stood up again. Before either of them could say anything else they heard the Professor's voice from downstairs.  
  
"Kids, dinner's ready!" His voice floated up from downstairs. Bubbles looked over at Boston and put one hand on his back as he left to head down to the dinner table. She walked behind him instead of flying. She was kind of getting attached to the kid, he made her feel more like her old self again.  
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[When will those Powerpuff Girls learn...] A voice said to herself as she floated easily through one of the solid steel walls that coated Professor Utoniums basement laboratory. [They cannot get rid of me... and now they've stolen MY son...] Her voice rose in anger as she passed through a few more walls toward her destination.  
  
Mange no longer had even the spectral body that had once struck such fear into the girls and let her be with her adopted son. The energy drain had pulled all essence of physical reality away from her, leaving her as little more than a ghost. She could not even speak into their minds anymore... all forms of communication had been severed. She still existed though, and she had an idea how to get back at those girls for taking EVERYTHING that should be hers. Buttercups body... and her son.  
  
Her mind seethed with anger as she passed through the final barrier to the weapon she would use to bring down the Powerpuff Girls. She remembered it from Buttercups' memory when they were still closely joined. It had been stored in an air-tight containment chamber so it wouldn't require maintenance and should still be functional even after all these years... the Powerpuff Dynamo.  
  
She floated up toward the head and flowed easily through to the cockpit inside. Teasingly she pushed herself into the control panels on all sides... and instantly felt the energy from its electrical systems interacting with the electrical energies that now made up her entire body. She could manipulate the Dynamo's energy flow from here... she could control it.  
  
She chuckled evilly in her own mind as she felt the power systems of the fighting robot activate once again under her control. Her chuckle echoed out of the Dynamo's mouth speaker in a low tone, echoing loudly in the empty chamber where it had been stored. They thought they could take everything from her, well she would take their lives as payment.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The sun was just beginning to set behind the horizon as the Utonium family settled down for their first family meal in their newly rebuilt home. Its golden hues of light shone through the kitchen window as they all sat down at the much longer table to dig into the feast the Professor had prepared. He hadn't been kidding when he said he was making something special, the Powerpuff Girls had never seen anything so elaborate in any restaurant they'd ever been to.  
  
"Isn't this nice?" the Professor said idly as he speared one of the very juicy looking bits of steak with his fork and took a bite. The kids all mumbled agreement as they dug into their own plates. They were too wrapped up in this special meal for small talk, the spices were practically talking to them after they stuck the meat into their mouths.  
  
"Does anybody else hear something?" Blossom asked when she heard a soft rumbling noise from just outside the house in the front. Everyone else stopped eating to listen and in a moment the ground started vibrating as well.  
  
"That sounds almost like the entrance to the Dynamo hangar." The Professor said in confusion as everyone bolted up from the table and ran to look out the front window. They looked up slowly when they saw the metal form of the Powerpuff Dynamo standing in what little sunlight remained. It looked different than it had when the girls had used it, it almost looked alive and even breathing.  
  
"Powerpuffs Powerpuffs do come play." A voice sounded from the robot's mouth speaker, followed by a mocking laugh as it turned to face their house squarely. Buttercups eyes narrowed dangerously just before she streaked right through the window, sending shards of glass flying all over the grass as she flew up to meet the machine.  
  
"Mange... I know that voice! What are you doing here, I thought you died when Him sucked the life force from everything!" She demanded. Her sisters and the Rowdyruff Boys quickly flew up beside her to face off against the giant robot.  
  
"I did!" The Dynamo shot back as it swung one fist furiously at the group that had gathered. Everyone scattered except for Bubbles, who'd been behind the rest and didn't see it coming until it was too late. The metal fist slammed into her and sent her flying into the roof of the house in a blue streak of light. The force of the blow sent her plunging through both stories, and right through the TV in the living room down into the basement laboratory where a computer console was all that broke her fall.  
  
"BUBBLES!" The others screamed worriedly as The Professor and Boston ran to check on her since they couldn't fight anyway. The remaining puffs and ruffs turned to face the Dynamo again with angry expressions.  
  
"My body died at least... but as for me, I was reduced to a ghost. As you know Buttercup as long as you exist, so will I now... but I cannot touch, cannot feel, I cannot even communicate. I can only watch... do you KNOW what that's like!?" Mange demanded angrily as the Dynamo clenched its fists at its sides.  
  
"You're gonna be GLAD you can't feel by the time we're done with you!" Blossom declared as the group of them advanced on the Dynamo cautiously. One metal arm swept through the air in front of them, sending the heroes scattering to avoid it.  
  
"Face it, this body was designed to defeat monsters even you couldn't stand up against, you can't defeat it!" Mange howled as she lunged at the heroes when they'd regrouped a distance away. They could see that chances were Mange was right...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Bubbles!" Professor Utonium shouted worriedly as he and Boston made their way down to the basement lab and ran over to the now destroyed console. The Powerpuff Girl was laying in the middle of the wreckage with her eyes closed and her limbs lying limply against the twisted metal. The Professor quickly put his arms under her and lifted her out of the broken wires and electronics before she could be electrocuted.  
  
"Is she alright?" Boston asked worriedly as he followed the Professor over to a steel table where he set the wounded Powerpuff Girl. The gentle rising and falling of her chest proved she was still alive, but she still looked pretty bruised and battered.  
  
"Yes, she should be alright with rest and time... but I'm not sure if we have enough time." The Professor said worriedly, shooting a glance up at the ceiling when he heard a thunderous crash from outside. "I've got to do something..." He muttered worriedly.  
  
"What can we do?" Boston asked with concern plain in his voice. He watched as the Professor looked back at the console with a frown and up at the ceiling again.  
  
"Boston, I need you to stay with Bubbles and tell me if anything happens to her. If she stops breathing, or if she even twitches tell me, okay?" The adult said quickly.  
  
"But where are you going?" Boston asked with a shaking voice.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm just going to be right over there trying to repair the console. I may be able to end this if I can just get it working again... it'll be alright." He put one hand on the kids shoulder and gave him a short smile before he turned to run over to the console and see what he could do with it.  
  
Slowly Boston looked up at Bubbles' limp form and took one of her hands in his. "Uh... it'll be fine..." He repeated as he kept a strict watch for the slightest movement from the unconscious Powerpuff Girl.  
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The sun was beginning to set behind the horizon and the last faint golden glow reflected brightly off of the surface of the Dynamo as it whirled in a huge kick that would have sent any targets flying wildly. The tiny heroes proved to be very elusive targets however while the robot was comparatively ungainly and slow.  
  
Blossom streaked away from the solid steel robot to give herself room as she took a deep breath into her lungs. She let it out in a stream of cold that flew through the air toward the robot. Before it could even get close the Dynamo's eyes began to glow with a crimson light just before a pulsing laser shot forth. The cloud of cold evaporated instantly and the Powerpuff Girl leader barely made it out of the way to avoid the blast.  
  
Brick came up next in a streak of light. His entire body pulsed with crimson energy until suddenly he vanished in a blood red flash. The outer shell of the Dynamo surged with power and Brick suddenly reappeared flying back toward the ground. Buttercup caught him before he could impact though.  
  
"No unauthorized entry!" Mange told him with a mocking shake of her head. "Now come on, fight like superheroes would you?" She said while her hands beckoned them on.  
  
"Fine, come and get us! Plan Alpha 7!" Blossom shouted. All of the Powerpuffs and Rowdyruffs assembled in the same place ready to take on the giant steel machine.  
  
"Go ahead, make it easy for me!" Mange shouted just before she lunged at them, raising one fist behind her. She brought her fist forward to slam into the group of heroes who just stood their ground. The fist hit its mark... but it was stopped after only a few feet as the entire group struggled against it.  
  
Mange struggled to make the fist move while the group of heroes struggled to hold onto it. For a long while they stood in a stalemate as the sun lowered behind the horizon almost completely, the sky was mostly dark now. Finally the combined force of the Powerpuff girls and Rowdyruff Boys was enough to pull the Dynamo into the street and hurl it to the pavement with a booming crash.  
  
"Hah! Take that Dynamo wimp!" Buttercup exclaimed proudly. She shut up though when the Dynamo climbed effortlessly to its feet and glared down at them.  
  
"Not a scratch." Mange said mockingly. "Enough, if I have to live in this lifeless hell, I'm bringing you ALL with me!" She looked like she was about to lunge at them... but suddenly the body of the robot convulsed with electrical energy that lit up the night.  
  
"What's going on... I can't move!" Mange screamed as the power stopped... but still the Dynamo didn't move an inch. "What is this!?"  
  
"A shut off switch." The ruffs and puffs looked down to see the Professor coming outside with a victorious smirk on his face. "Did you really think I'd build something like that without some kind of failsafe device?" He asked. "It took awhile to reassemble the computer well enough to activate it, but it obviously worked."  
  
"I can't get out of the Dynamo... Let me go!" Mange howled angrily.  
  
"I've already created an energy field to encase you in there, and you are going where you can't cause any mischief for a long, long time!" The Professor said as he took out a remote control. The Dynamo slowly walked back over to the hangar where it was stored... all alone with nobody and nothing around.  
  
"No! You can't do this to me!" Mange howled as the lift fell back into the hole slowly. "I don't want to be alone like this! PLEASE don't do it! LET ME OUT!" Her cries were finally silenced as the hangar to the Dynamo's now final resting place closed above it. Only the silence of the night surrounded them now as the moon came out from behind the patch of clouds it had been hiding behind to become the strongest light in the sky.  
  
"So Mange is trapped now forever?" Buttercup asked almost in disbelief. It had always been a fear of hers since she'd gone that she would return... and now it looked like that fear was gone.  
  
"As long as the energy field lasts, she will never be able to escape." The Professor assured her with a slight nod.  
  
"Good." Blossom stated for everybody present. "That means we can get back to our di... hey what happened to Bubbles?" she asked, suddenly remembering.  
  
"She's in her room resting, Boston's keep an eye on her." The Professor told them. "Best to leave her alone, she'll recover in time with rest and recuperation." He said confidently.  
  
"Guess we just continue dinner then." Brick suggested with a shrug. Nobody else could argue, the repairs could wait until tomorrow. Bubbles needed time to recover and Mange would be trapped an awfully long time. Things were looking up yet again.  
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Bubbles groaned painfully and opened her eyes slowly, seeing her brand new roof right above her. "Wh... what happened..." She asked confusedly as she turned her head to look beside her. Boston was asleep on a chair right beside her and Octi was snuggled under one of her arms.  
  
She smiled and slowly pushed the covers back. Her back was still a bit sore, but she felt well enough to go get something to eat, she was starving after missing dinner. Gently she set Octi on Boston's lap as she passed him on her way to the door. He was definitely a good kid, she found she really liked having him around the more time she spent with him. Given enough time he might even grow up to be a very good friend...  
  
THE END 


	9. 308- Evil's Last Stand

308- Evil's Last Stand  
  
  
Pearl white streaks of lightning flashed through the night sky brilliantly as the city of Townsville sat in the quiet solace that came only during the time of thunderstorms when everyone took shelter. The thunderous booms that inevitably followed sent many scurrying away fearfully. Harsh, cold winds tore through the city furiously while the sharp rain came down in an endless sheet that it was nearly impossible to see through.  
  
Only the steady drumming of the droplets and the harsh crack of thunder could be heard on the site where the TekTron building had once stood tall and proud. The same explosion that had ended the production of the dangerous Chemical X had rendered the land contaminated with the stuff... so much so that nobody even dared to move in for the purpose of cleaning up. The contamination could very well be deadly to most people, so it wasn't worth fixing up until it was gone.  
  
Only the rain and lightning dared tread this ground as the pearl streaks screamed in defiance with every flash. Suddenly one streak tore into a steel girder that had once held the building upright, flashing through the metal in under an instant along the length of it. It traveled far underground before it left the girder along a new path... living tissue.  
  
The creature roared back in the confinement of the rubble it had been buried under for years. The electrical spark vanished as quickly as it had appeared, having no tangible effect on the creature aside from angering it. Furiously it let out another muffled roar against the thunder cracks it could hear from far overhead.  
  
The mound of ruins shifted as another bolt of lightning struck the pile, blowing chunks and pieces every which way while the furious winds helped to blow some of the smaller debris away. The creature let out another roar as it shoved upward in a mighty heave, feeling the burden lessen and it was slowly able to regain its freedom from the confinement it had known for years.  
  
Its eye stalks struck out of the rubble first before the entire sinuous body heaved itself up from the ruins. Its' body moved as sinuously as that of a snake as its billions of legs easily stood even on the uneven surface of the rubble. Its vaguely humanoid mouth let out a scream of triumph as the pearl white lightning still surged through the sky, providing the only illumination on this otherwise black night.  
  
Its memory was poor... but it didn't have much to remember. It remembered its' master... and it remembered the two it was supposed to destroy. That was all it needed to know, now all it needed was to find those two. Nothing would stand in its way.  
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"Rain rain go away, and come again another day..." Bubbles mumbled the familiar chant to herself as she stared out at the downpour that had been going for what seemed like forever. Buttercup and the Rowdyruff Boys were gathered on the couch taking turns playing a game while Blossom helped the Professor in the kitchen and Boston was questioning him about various things.  
  
"Oh you've got to be kidding me..." Brick exclaimed in dismay when his character was beaten to a bloody pulp by Boomers' character, who quickly went into a victory pose. "Come on best two out of three." Boomer didn't really seem to be paying much attention, he just stared at the doorway to the kitchen worriedly. His super hearing could pick up the serious tones of Blossom and her creator, though he couldn't make out any words.  
  
"No way, move over it's my turn." Buttercup quickly took the controller from him and chose her own character before the fight started again. They'd been at it for hours already and Bubbles was bored out of her mind. She'd already drawn several different pictures both on paper and the blackboard in her room. She was running out of things to do rapidly.  
  
"Be nice guys, you're trying to have fun not kill each other." Blossom reminded them sternly as she floated into the living room to stop the arguing.  
  
"Actually... we ARE here to kill each other." Boomer said with a grin as the fighting game they had been playing started again with him facing off against Buttercup. Blossom rolled her eyes with a smirk and turned to head back into the kitchen with the Professor and Bricks' son. Boomers' character was quickly pummeled to death as he turned to look after her worriedly.  
  
They were all startled out of their somewhat relaxed states when all of their beepers went off simultaneously. Even the small buzz they gave off on vibrate was enough to nearly send Bubbles through the roof.  
  
"Something must be very wrong, he never calls when it's raining, not to mention he never calls all of us at once." Blossom said worriedly as she looked down at her beeper. The others all exchanged quick, worried glances before the Powerpuff leader floated into the living room again urgently. "Well come on guys, duty's calling!" She told them firmly.  
  
"Guys... LOOK!" Boomer shouted and stuck one hand out toward the TV. The game they had been playing was gone now, replaced by static that almost seemed to be taking shape. They all crowded a little closer to make out the picture as it slowly began to clear, revealing a figure with dark red skin and crab-like claws.  
  
"Him..." Buttercup growled darkly. Nobody else responded as they watched the scene on the TV shift from that of Him to Blossom and Boomer, almost like they were watching from a first-person view from... something. Something on the screen gave a furiously roar at the ruff and puff just before they streaked up toward the thing in two flashes of light.  
  
"What is this?" Brick asked confusedly as he watched the two get slammed through a solid steel wall.  
  
"This is..." Blossom mumbled as she exchanged a worried glance with Boomer. "It looks like a memory or something... I think I know where it's coming from but... I thought it was destroyed in the explosion." She looked extremely dismayed that that hadn't been the case.  
  
"We have a job to do, we have to get out of here and stop it before it destroys anything... if we CAN stop it." Boomer reminded her dutifully. The others all set their mouths in grim lines and nodded before each of them streaked out the front door as quickly as possible. It didn't matter what odds they faced, it was their duty to protect the city.  
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"Rain rain you really suck, go away, you're out of luck..." Buttercup grumbled as she stared angrily at the downpour just outside the clock tower the Whoopass Girls took refuge in. It had a roof that protected them from being soaked by the rain, but it had no door to close so the bitter cold wind still whipped its way through the room they used as a living area.  
  
"Buttercup stop whining, you're only making things worse!" Blossom shouted from further inside the living room where she and Bubbles were watching the weather report on the news. It didn't look like the storm would be ending any time soon, and the thunderous booms that echoed from outside gave further evidence to support that theory.  
  
"How could things possibly get worse? It's freezing and there's nothing to do!" Buttercup shot back just before a loud roar pierced through the air, practically sending her into the roof as she jumped and whirled to stare out the entrance of the clock tower in shock. "What the hell was that?" She demanded in a shaking voice.  
  
"I have no idea..." Blossom said softly as she floated up beside her brunette sister to stare out the opening in the clock tower intently. They watched for a good while, but nothing showed up.  
  
"Hey girls, take a look at this." Bubbles said from behind them near the TV. They turned to float back and take a quick look. A picture of Blossom and Boomer was on the TV, they were staring up at the camera with shocked, angry looks on their faces just before they lunged in streaks of light.  
  
"That must be the Powerpuff Girl..." Blossom mused to herself curiously. "Where is this image coming from?" She wondered more to herself than her sisters. Before anyone could respond she felt something wrap itself around her waist and start dragging her back toward the door. "What the!?" She exclaimed in a panic.  
  
Her sister instantly streaked over to grab her arms, struggling against whatever it was that held her. They all gave a gasp of surprise when even their combined strength was easily overpowered and the leader of the Whoopass Girls was dragged further back toward the entrance. When they got closer they could finally see what had her.  
  
"Get me out of here!" Blossom howled furiously when she saw the twin eye stalks peering at her almost vengefully and the tentacle that had her dragged her even closer. The three girls strained with the effort of this little tug-of-war, but they were hopelessly outmatched somehow.  
  
"Blossom!" Bubbles exclaimed worriedy as the creature opened its mouth, pulling the Whopass Girl out into the pouring rain. They were all soaked instantly from the relentless downpour and the lightning surged overhead in a brilliant flash.  
  
"Let go of meeeee!" Blossom screamed as she neared the creatures mouth. Before she could be popped in however nearly half a dozen streaks of light slammed into the tentacle that was holding her. The final blow in the barrage snapped the tentacle off, sending the three Whoopass Girls flying back into the clock-tower from the momentum of their efforts to get their sister free.  
  
"Yeah, we hurt it!" Boomer shouted triumphantly as the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys floated just outside the clock-tower, staring down at the creature. His cries quickly turned to those of dismay however when the tentacle regenerated almost instantly.  
  
"Thousands of gallons of concentrated Chemical-X... I'm not sure if anything we do will have a permanent effect." The leader of the Powerpuff Girls said softly as the creature turned to focus on them. Its eyes instantly settled on Blossom and Boomer, hovering side-by-side as they had several years ago when it had first been created.  
  
Its barely human mouth let out a furious roar at the sight of them and it threw its eyes forward, sending out a pulse of ruby red energy. The superheroes all scattered before the beam could strike them. Streaking in different directions in their own colors.  
  
"Forget this, we're out of here." Whoopass Blossom told her sisters seriously. They both nodded back and in under a moment they had streaked out of the clock tower and off into the rainy night. They didn't need this kind of thing, it was none of their business. Let the giant worm destroy Townsville if it wanted.  
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"We need some kind of a plan here Blossom!" Boomer told her when the leader of the Powerpuff Girls floated a bit away from the battle that was raging between the centipede and the rest of their siblings. Of course battle simply meant the creature was attacking and the heroes were dodging, they couldn't inflict any damage on the thing.  
  
"The Professor should be able to think of something..." Blossom reached into one of the pockets of her dress and pulled out a cellular phone she'd been keeping to get in touch with the mayor quickly if she needed to. She quickly dialed her home number and waited for a few rings before the Professor finally picked it up. "Professor, we have a small problem here."  
  
"I know Blossom, it's all over the news." Professor Utonium's voice came back to her. It had a somewhat strained tone to it. "I'm trying to find a way to fight it but I don't even know what it is!" He exclaimed.  
  
"I can tell you that... we were there when it was made." Blossom told him firmly. "Him made it using two researchers as the ingredients..." She said softly.  
  
"He used living people? How much Chemical-X did he use?" The Professor asked worriedly.  
  
"Oh... about a thousand gallons, give or take a few quarts..." Blossom told him reluctantly.  
  
"Well don't worry I'll think of something, in the meantime don't try to fight it head-on, it's far too strong. Just make sure it doesn't hurt any innocent people." The Professor suggested.  
  
"Got ya, thanks Professor." Blossom snapped her phone shut and put it back in her pocket, ignoring the rain that was still beating down on them in droves. "Alright, it's after you and me Boomer... we have to lead it out of Townsville so it doesn't hurt anybody." She turned to face the Rowdyruff Boy calmly, but he was just staring at her with wide, worried eyes. "What is it?"  
  
N... nothing." Boomer shook his head quickly and turned toward the creature before she could meet his gaze again. "Lead it out of Townsville, I've got it, let's go." Without another word he streaked down toward the creature to get its attention. She stared after him worriedly for a few minutes until she finally shook her head and followed him. She had a job to do, she couldn't let personal problems get in the way.  
  
"Hey you overgrown crap-eater!" Boomer howled as he picked up a garbage bin and hurled it as hard as he could at the creature. "You want the ones who blasted you last time, here we are!" The bin slammed into the creatures' side... and bounced off without inflicting any damage at all. It still got its attention though, causing it to turn toward the blond Rowdyruff Boy.  
  
Blossom landed beside him and watched as the creature gave a howl of rage and turned to lunge at them with surprising speed. Each leg moved impossibly fast, carrying it toward them in the blink of an eye. Just before it reached them they both streaked away from it, though they didn't go up at all. The creature was even faster than they thought however, and one tentacle quickly shot out to wrap itself around Blossoms' legs.  
  
"Hey!" Blossom exclaimed just before she shot back toward the creature like she was attached to elastic cord. Boomer instantly streaked back to wrap his arms around her chest and pull as hard as he possibly could against the monster as it tried to yank her in toward its mouth.  
  
"Hold on!" Boomer yelled frantically as he struggled to keep her away from the monsters jaws. The rest of the tiny heroes flew down to the creatures' sides and took a tight hold. With a mighty heave they lifted the creature off the ground and sent it toppling to its back in the middle of the street. Its limbs kicked out furiously, trying to regains its balance... including the one that had been holding Blossom captive.  
  
She would have been sent flying had Boomer not been holding her so tightly. He clutched her firmly and flew with her until he was able to straighten them out and float with her in his arms. She blinked and looked around until she regained her bearings and floated from his arms wordlessly.  
  
In only a few moments the creature righted itself and stood on all of it's millions of limbs, giving another howl of anger and rage as it lunged itself at Blossom and Boomer again.  
  
They quickly threw themselves on either side of the creature, flying back along its body until they met up with the rest of the tiny heroes who were watching the creature warily.  
  
"What are we supposed to do now?" Buttercup demanded in frustration. "This things bigger, stronger, and faster than we are. It could probably kill us in one stroke if there was only one of us." She pointed out.  
  
"Our numbers are our advantage though Buttercup." Blossom told her firmly. She gave no evidence of being the timid little girl she often was when nobody was around, she was now only the leader of the Powerpuff Girls. "We do everything in our power to keep ourselves, and the citizens of Townsville, out of its way until the Professor can come up with a solution."  
  
"Easier said than done..." Brick grumbled as he turned to watch the monster, who was rapidly approaching them now.  
  
"Boomer, we're going to keep it away from everyone else. Bubbles, Buttercup and Brick, you three evacuate the area! If we can't get it out of Townsville we can at least get Townsville out of its way. GO!" Instantly all five heroes streaked off in different directions to execute her plan as well as they could. Blossom hated not being able to take the offensive, but for now all she could do was pray the Professor found a solution.  
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Professor Utonium pounded his fist on the table in frustration as he poured over all the books he had concerning substances and the knowledge of Chemical-X in his own mind. He couldn't find any flaws that might help them, no loopholes to spell destruction for a being of Chemical-X. There had to be something, after all two beings had exploded for no real reason before... what could have possibly caused that.  
  
"Sugar, spice, everything nice..." He mumbled to himself for the hundredth times all of the ingredients for the beings he knew of. "Snips, snails, and puppy dog tails. Sweetener, twigs, computers, books flowers..." He sighed to himself as he gave up trying to list Bunny's ingredients. "A tetherball, a baseball cap and a video game... where is the connection..." He pounded his head furiously as he tried to puzzle it out.  
  
"Sugar spice and everything nice was stable... so was the ball, cap and game... but the others proved unstable... Why? There had to have been some mistake, some flaw that made their composition so unsteady... some clash within their makeup..." He didn't always talk to himself, but he was stressed out right now. He knew his girls were out fighting with no real defense and he couldn't stand it.  
  
"Professor, there's a bug in my drink. Should I just take it out?" Boston complained as he held up his cup of soda to the older scientist. The old man looked down at him with a wry smirk and pointed to the kitchen.   
  
"Get a new one, there's plenty in the fridge. Bugs in drinks don't go good together." He said firmly. Boston nodded as he turned to head off to the kitchen in search of a new drink. Once he was gone the Professor stopped dead in his tracks thinking hard. Bugs and drinks didn't mix... living and inanimate...  
  
"By God... THAT'S IT!" He exclaimed in triumph. The Powerpuff Girls and these new Rowdyruff Boys had been created from inanimate substances and objects... while the old Rowdyruff Boys and Bunny had included living organic ingredients, snails and flowers. The living organic and dead inorganic ingredients must have formed different kinds of reactions from the Chemical-X, different enough to where if they were combined and then stressed to their peak, they would clash and explode right from within.  
  
He scrambled to get to the phone as fast as he could, he would have to thank Boston later. For now he was just glad he could finally do something worthwhile to help his daughters when they needed him...  
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Blossom grunted furiously as she barely dodged another tentacle swipe, streaking out of the way just in time to avoid being slammed into the pavement. She jumped in surprise when her cell phone went off, begging for her attention. She floated high enough to avoid the monsters tentacles while she answered the phone.  
  
"Professor?" She asked instantly, knowing only he would call at a time like this.  
  
"Blossom, I've found it!" The Professor shouted in excitement. "Listen very carefully, did anything inorganic go into the chemical with the men?" He asked.  
  
"Well they were wearing clothes and stuff but I don't see..." Blossom was interrupted by her creators' once more excited chatter.  
  
"Blossom, listen to me. You have to stress the creature as much as you can, be it physical or psychological. If you put enough stress on it the different ingredients that were used to create it will clash violently, destroying it for good." The Professor told her importantly.  
  
"Great, thanks Professor!" Blossom told him before she hung up and stared down at the creature. "Now how are we supposed to stress it... it's not even feeling any attacks..." She mused over the problem for awhile as she watched her boyfriend doing his best to keep the things attention while the others got the citizens to safety.  
  
"Puffs and ruffs HUDDLE!" She screamed as loudly as she could above the still pouring rain. Almost instantly all four of the other heroes streaked up to join her in the air above the creature. "We need a way to put stress on this thing... maybe drop a building or outsmart it..."  
  
"How about we draw lots of us and make him think there's more than one of us?" Bubbles suggested brightly. Everyone else narrowed their eyes at her drolly until Boomer suddenly perked up.  
  
"Hey she may not be too far off the mark... that thing would flip if it saw more than one of one of its targets..." Boomer told them.  
  
"One problem, there's only one of each of us." Buttercup reminded him with a bonk on the head.  
  
"Some of us maybe, but this thing is after me and Blossom... and there ARE two Blossoms." Boomer reminded them as he looked over at his girlfriend. Everyone stared at him in wide-eyed shock as they realized he was right. Blossom especially stared at him intently, wondering if he was really her boyfriend.  
  
"Alright, but we need to find her quickly, so you all get going while I distract this thing." She said firmly.  
  
"Nuh-uh, I'll distract it." Boomer told her. He put one hand over Blossoms' mouth before she could protest. "Do you really think Whoopass Blossom will listen to anybody but you? I'll be fine, trust me. I can handle it." He told her more softly before he moved his hand from her mouth. "You need to find her fast... you can all look while I make sure this thing doesn't hurt anybody." His logic was sound and nobody else could really refute it, so finally Blossom gave him a short nod.  
  
"If you die on me... I'm demoting you." Blossom told him seriously. He straightened up and gave her a joking salute with a smirk on his face.  
  
"I'll try to disappoint you on that... ma'am." He told her with a comforting smile. He could see in her eyes that she was worried about him, but he could also see that sense of duty that had made her the leader in the first place. She wouldn't let her personal feelings get in the way of what needed to be done, no matter who it involved.  
  
She gave him a short nod before she turned away from him abruptly and yelled at the others. "Fan out and search every corner of the city if you have to, if anyone finds them, beep me!" She told them firmly. The others all nodded and took off in different directions with Blossom going with them. Boomer didn't allow himself any time for doubts as he turned to face the creature alone now.  
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He floated down to the creature calmly, watching as it went on a rampage after losing its prey in the night storm that still raged around them. The creature looked up as a flash of lightning lit up the dark sky like a light bulb, exposing the lone Rowdyruff Boy who stood against it. He knew he didn't have a prayer of beating it, but he didn't need to. He only had to keep it from hurting any innocents long enough for the others to get back with the Whoopass Girl.  
  
The creature didn't move for a long while, simply studying him like a snake waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Boomer stared right back intently, somewhat glad for this little rest after constantly trying to dodge and keep him from turning away without getting nailed himself.  
  
Another flash of light tore through the sky, blinding him momentarily with the force of it. When his sight returned he found the creature already upon him, slamming one tentacle into his stomach and sending him through the wall of one building. He grunted when the creature grabbed him with that same tentacle, yanking him out of the building and slamming him hard into the ground.  
  
The earth shuddered as the centipede creature slammed him into the pavement of the street again and again, almost seeming to enjoy seeing the Rowdyruff Boy trying to squirm free. He strained against the tentacle that held him with all his might, but it was stronger than anything the world had ever known. The end result of thousands of gallons of Chemical-X couldn't hope to be beaten by one measly boy, no matter how charged he was.  
  
He gave another exclamation of pain as he was slammed into the street yet again, but this time it was followed by a yelp of surprise when the entire street caved in from the impact. The tentacles' grip loosened only moments before both the boy and the monster slammed hard into some ground below the street.  
  
Boomer grunted painfully as he pushed himself to his feet and took a look around. It was a fairly sizable passage that ran in two directions with train tracks running along the floor... the Townsville subway system. This was a good thing, there weren't likely to be any people down here, so the monster could rampage all it wanted and not hurt anybody. Of course Boomer himself had to stay down there so the monster wouldn't follow him back up.  
  
Quickly he got up and streaked down the subway in the direction the centipede was not so he could put some distance between them. As he'd hoped he heard the thousands of feet scurrying quickly in his direction... too quickly actually. The small sound sounded like it was slowly getting nearer, and the monsters' cries of triumph proved he was losing this race.  
  
"No!" He exclaimed in surprise when he heard the sounds of a train approaching from the direction he was currently flying. The train would have people on it, they could be killed. On the other hand the train might be enough to get this monster off of his back once and for all if it collided... there was only one thing to do.  
  
He kicked in every ounce of speed he had and quickly saw the train coming right at him with the sound of steam and the wheels grating against the subway rails. Boomer didn't even stop to assess the situation, but instead just broke through the front windshield and grabbed the engineer in under a second before he continued down the line of cars.  
  
He could hear the sound of the collision from the front of the train as he tried to hurry his way through, pausing only a second to pick up a handful of people who had been travelling during a day like this. The sounds of screeching metal as the solid train cars folded in on themselves behind him filled the air as he streaked through the last car.  
  
He slammed right into the back of the train, punching a hole right through the tail end and streaking out just before the last car bent upward against the pile that had formed on collision with the centipede. He floated to the tracks to put the citizens on the ground carefully.  
  
"Get out of here now!" He told them in a stern voice that demanded to be obeyed. The people nodded back and several thanked him before they took off running back the way they had come just moments before.  
  
Slowly Boomer turned toward the wreckage and slowly walked toward it to see if that had indeed done the job. The way he saw it, if anything could cause physical stress to this thing, being hit by a train would do it. Honestly though he wasn't at all sure anything on the planet could stop it for long.  
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Blossom grumbled to herself darkly as she flew through the streets of Townsville, looking for any sign of her counterpart. There didn't seem to be any though, the streets were almost completely empty because of the rain and thunderstorms. The storm was abating though, as little as it helped her out.  
  
Finally she spotted all three Whoopass Girls flying toward the edge of Townsville at a leisurely pace. She streaked up behind them and grabbed her counterpart from behind, holding her in place.  
  
"Hey what the... let me go!" Whoopass Blossom demanded angrily. Her sisters whirled in surprise, but the Powerpuff leader had her in an arm-lock almost like a hostage.  
  
"You have to come back and help us take out that monster!" Blossom told her urgently.  
  
The Whoopass Girls' leader just gave a short laugh before she replied. "Why should I? I HOPE you and all of Townsville are destroyed, it would solve a lot of my problems!" She spat back hatefully.  
  
Blossom put her mouth up next to her counterparts' ear before she spoke softly. "The Professor just told me that mixing certain types of ingredients spells death for anyone created by Chemical X! Tell me, what are YOU made of?" She asked curiously. She was greeted only by silence as the three sisters just exchanged glances. They didn't know what they were made of, Him had never told them.  
  
"You lie..." The Whoopass Girl muttered, disbelieving.  
  
"Help me and I'll ask the Professor to examine you and make sure you're stable." Blossom let go of her counterparts' arms to prove her sincerity. Instantly all three Whoopass Girls floated right in front of her threateningly.  
  
Finally after a long time the leader of the Whoopass Girls extended one hand. "Fine, I'll help... but I'm only doing it to make sure we're not in any danger of exploding." Blossom took her hand firmly and shook it, sealing the deal.  
  
"Naturally. Now come on, Boomer's fighting that thing alone right now, God knows how long he can last. We have to hurry." Blossom exclaimed as she whirled to streak off to find her boyfriend again. She just hoped they could get there in time to save him before he was overwhelmed.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Curiously Boomer activated his X-ray vision, looking through the wreckage of the train to see if he could fine any sign of the centipede. He could see it on just the other side of the wreckage... But it was still moving. It was tearing at the twisted metal furiously in order to get through. Already he could hear the sounds of it digging combined with its roars of frustration.  
  
He couldn't help being a little frustrated himself as he looked up through the ceiling to see where he'd wound up. He could see trees just above him... they'd gone clear out of Townsville to the forest. He couldn't keep going along the tracks, he would eventually lead this thing to another town and he needed to keep it out of populated areas. The only way to go now was up.  
  
His attention was drawn back to the wreckage when the creature gave a howl of triumph and shoved its head through a hole it had made in the pile. "Hey bird-bait, come and get me!" Boomer shouted as he fired a blast of heat vision at the creature... just to make sure it would follow him. It obviously worked because the monster howled back angrily and fired its' own eye-beams. Boomer had already burst out of the subway into the forest above before it could reach him. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle and the sun was barely peeking through a few clouds, giving much needed light for the Rowdyruff Boy to see by.  
  
The ground itself tore wide open as the centipede pushed its own way up out of the tunnel and into the still damp air of the forest. It howled its anger when it saw him already floating amid a pile of trees giving it a taunting grin and waving his hands in the air.  
  
When the creature lunged toward him Boomer instantly streaked in the other direction in a dot of blue light. He dodged and ducked through the trees as fast as he could while behind him he could hear the centipede sending every tree it brushed against toppling to the ground around it. He was caught off guard when one of those trees flew forward, slamming into his back and sending him to the ground with a heavy thud.  
  
"Oh..." He groaned and sat up as quickly as he could, rubbing the back of his neck painfully. He quickly leaped backward to his feet as one massive tentacle that served as the things feet came crashing down on the spot he had been moments before. Before he had time to get away dozens more came to take their chances at crushing the little bug, slamming into the ground on every side of him as he streaked around almost randomly to avoid being stomped flat.  
  
In a flight of desperation Boomer threw himself up just out of the tangle of feet below him and did a back flip, planting the hardest kick he could manage squarely under the things almost human-like jaw. The centipede didn't even flinch and instead thrust one tentacle out again. The force of the blow sent Boomer flying into several trees nearby, knocking them all to the ground in an instant.  
  
"Hugh... no..." He howled in pain moments later when one huge foot came down right on top of him, crushing him into the ground. He clutched furiously at the foot and tried to push it off of him, but all of his efforts were futile as the huge tentacle pushed him down even harder. Tears of pain leaked from his eyes from the sheer force that was pushing him down. He couldn't take much more of this...  
  
"Hey you hundred foot monster!" It sounded like Blossoms' voice that echoed through the trees... but it had an echo like there were two speaking instead of one. Boomer looked up with pain filled eyes to see two Blossoms' floating a few yards in front of the creature. "Why not pick on someone your own size!?" They yelled in unison again, mimicking each others' demanding movements perfectly.  
  
The centipede stared at him for a long time, its' eyes flitting from one to the other and back again in quick motions as it slowly built up more and more rage. Finally it let out a furious cry and threw itself at the two Blossoms with astonishing speed. They both streaked straight up out of the creatures reach and fired their heat rays down at it. They still moved in perfect mirror motions of each other, almost like synchronized swimming.  
  
The creature howled in absolute fury and fired its own eye lasers back, but the Blossoms' dodged nimbly and gave each other a high five, proving it wasn't just an illusion. Another furious howl erupted from the creatures throat at the vision of its prey celebrating victory with an exact clone of herself. It was just too much or the creatures' mind to grasp.  
  
"Come on buggy, come and get me!" The Blossoms yelled again and gestured at themselves. This sent the monster over the edge of the precipice it had been dangling on at seeing the two. It let out another piercing howl as a shard of light broke through its outer skin, with more holes quickly joining it until looking at the creature was painful.  
  
The explosion blew both of the Blossoms back against trees and even sent several trees tumbling to the ground from the sheer intensity of it. The sound alone drove away every animal within earshot as well as deafening all of the heroes who were around to hear it. When it finally died down Boomer let himself breathe a sigh of relief from his spot on the forest floor.  
  
"Are you okay?" Boomer looked up when he felt a pair of hands lifting the upper half of his body from the ground. Blossom was sitting on her knees in the grass of the forest with his head now resting gently in her lap. One of her hands ran gently through his hair though she had a worried look on her face.  
  
"I'll be fine in a few minutes..." He told her with a smile thick with pain. "Don't worry about it, I'll bounce back in no time." He told her again more to make sure she didn't panic than because he thought there was any real possibility of serious injury.  
  
"Because of you absolutely nobody was hurt." Blossom informed him with a proud smile. "I definitely couldn't have pulled that off..." She admitted shyly.  
  
"I don't know..." Boomer muttered as he reached up one hand to rest it against her cheek. "You can do anything." He reminded her with a smile. She smiled back and leaned down to kiss him gently on the lips. In a few moments she pulled back slightly and helped him stand up on legs that didn't really seem to want to work.  
  
"Alright we got the bug problem taken care of, can we go now?" The leader of the Whoopass girls demanded while her sisters and the rest of the ruffs/puffs moved out of the surrounding forest to join them.  
  
"Of course, we never said you had to stick around." Blossom reminded them with a grateful smile. "Thanks for your help, I'll talk to the Professor about setting up that examination soon... maybe we should work together more often." She suggested.  
  
"The day I start working with you on a regular basis is the day I become a monster snack." The Whoopass Girl told her before she turned to float away from the scene. Oddly, Whoopass Bubbles hung around a few more moments, staring at Blossom and Boomer until finally she too turned to fly after her sisters quickly.  
  
"Well that's that, all of Him's influence is gone now." Buttercup announced with a pleased grin. "All in all I don't think it's been a very bad day." She said.  
  
"Speak for yourself..." Boomer grumbled irritably. Blossom smiled at him comfortingly while Brick gave a slight chuckle.  
  
"Well let's go home if our work here is done." Bubbles suggested brightly. The others all nodded in agreement, especially Boomer. The city could clean up after the monster, they were all soaking, and miserable, and just ready to collapse into a nice warm bath. They were glad too that they now had two bathrooms and baths in the house. It made things a lot easier.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Boomer, how could you be jealous of the Professor?" Blossom demanded incredulously as she and her boyfriend sat on the edge of her bed while they waited for their turns to take baths and get ready for bed. She stared at him with a wry smirk on her face since she'd just found out why he'd been acting strange the last few days.  
  
"Well before you always came to me with your problems and stuff... now you're going to him. I don't know, maybe it's silly but it was like you didn't need me anymore..." Boomer replied sheepishly.  
  
"Well of COURSE I go to the Professor for things. He is more or less my dad." She chided him and slapped his shoulder gently. "There are some things it's just easier to go to him for. I still need you though, you can help me with things he can't." She told him softly.  
  
"Yeah? Like what?" Boomer looked over at her wide pink eyes as they stared at him intently.  
  
"Like today... the Professor may have told us what we needed to do... but it's only because of you that nobody got hurt while we prepared..." Blossom reminded him as she put her forehead against his. "The Professor may help guide me... but you're there with me all the time... you support me when even he can't." She whispered to him.  
  
Boomer smiled back at her gently and put his arms around her, pulling her into a gentle hug. She just sighed and buried her head in his shoulder like she always used to. He suddenly didn't feel so bad about everything anymore, actually he felt pretty good. He liked being able to be there for her, she needed all the support she could get. He'd be there to give it to her too, as long as he possibly could.  
  
THE END 


	10. 309- Immortal Kombat

309- Immortal Kombat  
  
  
The firelight danced in a myriad of patterns off of the cavern wall as a single figure walked through the dimly lit cave. He walked across the length of the cavern with his dark voluminous robes stirring up the dust from the floor as he approached a figure on the wall. It hung limply with its eyes closed and its hands out to the side, almost like he'd been crucified. He looked up into the still, pale face of the only family he remembered ever having. He felt nothing however, no pity for this poor soul, no guilt for killing his own son. Only his own burning desire for even more power burned brightly within him... but now there was only one way he could get it. Only the Chemical X could grant him the immortality he desired...  
  
"You can help me yet... my son." The Necromancer raised one hand up above his head with the gnarled staff he carried clutched within it. He could feel his power surging through it in a furious wave, held back only through sheer force of will. The power lit up the cavern more brightly than any torch as several tendrils of it leaked from his grasp, ripping into the walls of the cavern like blood veins.  
  
Finally he thrust the staff forward, sending the raw energy surging through his sons flesh. He needed a once living being to imbue with the essence of the eternal warriors who would bring an end to his enemies and win him his immortality. Who better than his own son, who had already possessed almost as much power as the Necromancer himself?  
  
The power ripped through his sons' body mercilessly, extending outward through the walls of the cavern until it was like he was standing amid a sea of endless light. Finally his eyes shot open, though they were no longer those of the errant son. They were little more than pitch-black pools of nothingness in front of his face.  
  
"Let the games... begin." The Necromancer grinned triumphantly as he watched his son finally rise from his bondage to join him in his quest. Nothing would stop him this time, together at last his son would win him what he desired more than anything... eternal life.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Hey look at these." Buttercup exclaimed as she streaked out of her closet to show Brick what she'd found. She was holding a pair of leather gloves in one hand that looked like they had something in them. Brick smiled back and chuckled, knowing what they were just from looking at them.  
  
They'd been spending the day comfortably in Buttercups room, rummaging through old items she'd found again during the move from Miss Keane's to here. She had accumulated a lot of stuff in her time at their former teachers' house, a lot of it she didn't even remember getting.  
  
"Are you sure they still work?" Brick asked politely from his comfortable position on her bed. He'd just been watching her calmly while she was in the closet searching like she might find something she hadn't seen before.  
  
"Sure, I don't see why not. Stainless steel." Buttercup replied as she slipped the gloves on. Even after so many years they were a perfect fit on her ageless mitts. With a quick flick of her wrists the three spring mounted butcher knifes popped through the aged leather with a thick plunk. They glinted in the light that shone through the window as she grinned down at them.  
  
"Are you sure you made those? They sure have lasted a long time." Brick asked with a teasing grin. Buttercup stared at him balefully, trying to decide whether that was an insult or a compliment. Finally she just decided to let it go and turned to head back into the closet as she pushed the three blades back into the leather gloves.  
  
"You know you sh... GEEZE!" Buttercup exclaimed in shock when a surge of pearl white energy ripped through the floor right in front of her. It tore through the walls of the house easily, stripping them down to the bare bones while Buttercup lunged back into her room, floating to meet Brick in the center of the room.  
  
"What's going on!?" Brick demanded confusedly just before the energy surged up right beneath them, tearing through both of them in a vicious wave. A startled scream escaped from both of their throats as the energy pulled the down toward the floor, pulling them into its unyielding embrace and into an almost meditative slumber.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Finally the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys woke up from their forced slumber to find themselves, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. Nothing could be seen around them, not even any landscape. They simply floated in a realm of colors and lights that flowed randomly around. They were a bit surprised to find Boston there with them... he didn't even have any powers.  
  
"What is this? Who brought us here?" Blossom demanded as she looked around at their surroundings angrily. They all turned to look as a figure materialized out of the swirling patterns. It peered at them with an evil grin from under a voluminous black hood.  
  
"All the attacks, all the power, all the plans in the world have proven ineffective against you..." The Necromancer told them as he looked at them one at a time. "Because you're a team... well now I propose a new kind of challenge." He informed them darkly.  
  
"Like we would be dumb enough to make a deal with YOU." Blossom told him angrily. "Now send us back home before we make you."  
  
"I don't think that would be very wise... after all, I am offering you the chance to get rid of me... forever." The Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys all perked up at this, staring at him steadily. "I challenge each of you to battle a creature of my creation one at a time. If even one of you can defeat it, I will leave forever. If my monster beats you all though, one at a time, then you give me what I want."  
  
Blossom stared at him suspiciously, then turned to face the rest of her team in a secretive huddle. "Well guys, should we risk it?" She asked curiously.  
  
"I say we do it, like anything HE could make would stand a chance against even one of us. We can get rid of him and be home before dinner." Buttercup announced confidently.  
  
"I don't know, there's got to be some kind of trick up his sleeve if he's really going to do this. Who says he'd honor his part of the agreement anyway?" Brick asked sensibly.   
  
"Still I don't see any way out of here... what have we got to lose?" Boomer asked. "If he DOES honor his agreement we'd be much better off from here on out."  
  
"I really would like to not have to worry about being attacked by a zombie or anythin'." Bubbles chimed in innocently.  
  
"Alright... we'll fight, and hope he sticks to his part of the bargain... now the question is... who goes first to find out what this thing is?" Blossom asked.  
  
"I'll go first and last." Buttercup announced instantly as she straightened up from the huddle. "Kick this thing's butt and go home."  
  
"Alright... let's do this." Blossom said as she too stood up from the huddle. They all turned to face he Necromancer at once. "We accept your challenge, but you had better honor our agreement when we win!" She demanded firmly.  
  
"That is no concern since you will not win." The Necromancer shot back at Buttercup stepped forward confidently. He raised his staff in front of him, sending a streak of pure white light slamming into the air just in front of the Powerpuff Girl. She covered her eyes, shielding them against the brilliance until it finally died down enough for her to look again.  
  
An eight-foot tall lumbering creature stared down at her with dark black eyes. Its body was a light tannish yellow bulked up with muscle and it had four arms that ended in three fingered hands with black nails. Its legs were comparatively small, but looked no less powerful despite the two-toed feet that it stood on. It had one black ponytail that stuck out of the top of its head as the only piece of hair on its body.  
  
"Hmph, I've fought bigger... come on!" Buttercup exclaimed as she jumped into a fighting stance in front of it. She streaked forward to slam a fist into its face, but one massive arm swung with shocking speed for its size, knocking her back easily to the seemingly invisible ground they were standing on. She picked herself up and shook her head clear, glaring at the creature.  
  
"Alright... maybe this WILL be fun." She sneered confidently and threw herself forward again, being a bit more steady this time. This time when the creature swung its fist she stuck one leg out, leaping off of it and out of the way toward it. The other three fists almost seemed to be moving independently as they all took swings at her. It was all she could do to avoid them all in a blur of green light, bouncing off of them with a grace no normal human could match.  
  
Finally she bounced off of one of the upper arms toward the head, whirling in a graceful roundhouse kick that sent the creature reeling back. Buttercup quickly pressed her advantage, pressing forward with a series of combos and kicks that sent it reeling even more as she pummeled it down to its knees.  
  
"Finish him!" Brick shouted excitedly from he sidelines as Buttercup landed in front of the creature. She grinned as she lowered her fist to her side, letting her strength build up to its boiling point before she made any more moves. Finally she threw her fist upward in a vicious uppercut that sent her flying into the air. The very wind around her fist seemed to be swirling with the force of it.  
  
The blow sent the creature flying back to the ground limply, unconscious and barely moving at all. Buttercup grinned and struck a quick victory pose. "Game over already? Aw, too bad." Behind her her sisters and the boys gave a quick cheer  
  
"You forgot about round two." The Necromancer reminded her with a grin as the creature got up again. It glared at her hatefully as two more arms slowly burst their way out of its sides. The newly formed fingers flexed just before it reached behind it to take out six curved swords seemingly out of nowhere.  
  
"Let's go, Buddha." Buttercup replied viciously as she flicked her wrists. The butcher knives pokes easily through the leather gloves with their usual soft plunking noise. She raised her claws in front of her as the creature slowly started to lumber toward her, raising its swords threateningly.  
  
Suddenly Buttercup floated into the air when the creature lunged at her, bringing all of its blades to bear down on her. Her arms fades into streaks of green light as she deflected every strike made against her with her own blades. The sound of metal clashing against metal filled the air while the sparks from the force of every contact flew every which way.  
  
"Rrragh!" Buttercup screamed in frustration as one of the creatures' blades cut into her side painfully. She quickly threw herself up out of his reach, streaking over his head in a spin to come down behind him with her claws above her head at the ready. She brought them down on top of the creature... but they were halted in their tracks when it put its top two blades above its head like a shield.  
  
She pressed down as hard as she could, straining to make any headway, but it held fast until finally it thrust the blade upward, sending her fumbling back through the air. The creature whirled with surprise speed and swung one sword in a huge arc, slicing a long gash along her stomach. Blood flew in every direction as she was pressed backward.  
  
In a move of desperation Buttercup threw herself forward, slashing wildly with her claws while a feral scream erupted from her throat. Her claws left silver streaks in the air where they passed as one slash managed to cut through the creatures' arm, severing it at the elbow.  
  
The creature let out a scream of rage and swept the rest of its swords forward all at once. She deflected two, but the others sliced into her viciously, sending more blood flying in a shower of the stuff as she was pushed back. She was too dazed to fight back as the thing continued its assault, finally driving her back near her siblings before it landed a hard kick against her slashed up chest, sending to the floor in front of her siblings, unconscious.  
  
"Buttercup!" Brick screamed furiously and streaked over to check on her. He carefully put his hands under her neck and legs to pick her up, cradling her like a baby. "Buttercup are you alright?" He asked her worriedly as he held her close. She opened one eye weakly and smirked up at him.  
  
"Just give me a minute... and I'll finish him off..." Buttercup grunted painfully before she leaned her head against his shoulder limply. She was still breathing, but she was obviously too weak to continue the battle any longer.  
  
"You go ahead and rest, you did great." Brick told her lovingly as he turned to look back at the others. Blossom was already stepping forward to continue the battle with her fists raised and at the ready.  
  
"Nobody does that to my sister!" She exclaimed angrily as she stepped up toward the creature that had just taken her sister down so roughly. She wouldn't let it get away with that kind of an insult.  
  
Before she could launch an attack a streak of pearl light slammed into the creature from the Necromancer's staff. The raw energy surged through the creature as it bent and twisted its being into a new configuration. They could all hear its limbs snapping apart and slowly reshaping into a brand new creature. The only evidence that it was still the same body from before was the wound that was still open on its side. It had a new body and probably new abilities, but it retained its injuries. Blossom was pleased to note that the Necromancer was still keeping his word.  
  
The creature's new form was more human in proportion though it hardly looked totally human. The top half of its body was muscular and practically pulsing with the obviously enormous amount of strength it had. The comparatively long arms ended in claws on each hand and it had a pair of magnificent looking wings sprouting from its back. Its face looked human with jet black hair but it had a strange symbol on its forehead and its skin was an odd purplish color. The lower half of its body was covered in torn pants, but its feet were almost totally claw-like.  
  
Blossom slowly put herself into a ready stance as she faced the demon-like creature before her. Its wings gently fanned the air as it stared right back at her intelligently, waiting for its chance to make a move. Without warning they both took off into the air toward each other.  
  
Blossom blocked a few strikes and countered with a few of her own in a flurry of purple and pink streaks. Strikes were thrown and dodges were executed for a long time as both combatants tried to outmaneuver the other. The creatures' wings beat the air furiously as it strove to match her needlepoint turns and sharp blows. Her speed proved to be too much for the creature to handle as she dodged every claw strike and slammed her fists and feet into it at every opportunity, slowly driving it back down toward the ground with every blow.  
  
Without warning the creature whirled in a full circle, whipping out a curved blade that almost seemed to glow with white hot fire as it arced toward her furiously. It slashed along Blossom's stomach painfully, sending her far enough away from the creature for it to gain its bearings again and advance on her. She readied herself for its charge, but instead the symbol on its forehead began to glow with an inner light.  
  
Blossom streaked out of the way just before the piercing laser erupted from the symbol, searing the very air around it into a frenzy of heat and motions as the beam struck the power that was surging around them in the form of multi-colored variants. The resulting explosion rocked everyone on the ground and the shock-wave sent both Blossom and the creature flying to the invisible ground heavily, knocking the breath out of the Powerpuff Girl.  
  
"Not enough... need something to fight with..." Blossom muttered to herself as she stumbled to her feet dizzily. Quickly she spotted the arm of the previous creature nearby, still clutching the sword tightly in an iron grip that was practically made for combat. Without thinking she streaked over and pried the blade free, hefting it to test it for balance as she turned to face the creature again.  
  
Blossom barely had time to raise the sword in front of her to parry the huge blow that was strong enough to throw her back to the ground ten feet away. She flipped to her feet quickly and spun the sword back into a fighting position, facing the demonic creature confidently. She made the next move, lunging forward and swinging her sword in a wide arc above her head.  
  
The demon's blade met hers in a shower of sparks, sending her blade to the side while the creature whirled again. Blossom was ready this time though, blocking the spinning strike by planting her blade firmly in the invisible ground and clutching it in place to fend off the attack. The demon's blade slammed into it, halting instantly. Suddenly, Blossom gripped the hilt of her sword and yanked it out of the ground again in a vicious upward slash.  
  
The sword bit deeply into the creature's chest, leaving a long gash from its stomach all the way up to its shoulder. The demon stumbled back with one claw over its wound, glaring at her coldly like it was already planning its next move. Pain obviously had no meaning to the demon-like creature.  
  
She waited until it lunged again, thrusting its blade toward her heart with one hand. Blossom parried the strike quickly and lunged at the demon, but the thrust proved to be a ruse as the creature's other hand came around to slash along her stomach with its claws. She stumbled back painfully, clutching the wounds along her chest.   
  
The Powerpuff Girl quickly threw herself forward again, bringing her sword around in a huge overhead swing that would cut any living thing in half. The demon however simply caught it in one hand, holding it tightly so she couldn't move it. Before she could get away the creature shot one clawed foot to her neck, standing on one leg and squeezing her throat tightly.  
  
"Grk..." Blossom struggled to get herself free, still gripping the sword in both hands until she finally just let it go and tried to pry the things claw off of her. She tried to get her hands underneath the claw, but it clung to her too tightly and she could feel her strength fading fast as it held her.  
  
"Blossom!" She could hear Boomer's worried cry from where he and the others could only watch as her strength was slowly squeezed from her. She could barely move by this time and finally she felt her consciousness slipping away, sending her into a dark slumber. Satisfied at its victory the creature whirled on one foot and hurled her back at the others forcefully.  
  
"I got you!" Boomer yelled as he streaked quickly to catch his girlfriend before she could fly past him. He clutched her firmly while he floated down to the ground, watching her face worriedly. She coughed and sputtered for breath, but she was still alive at least.  
  
"Only one Powerpuff Girl left." The Necromancer said with a vicious grin. Bubbles and Boston just stared at him wide-eyed as he again sent a surge of energy running through his creature. It began to shift and assume yet another form, this one even stranger... yet stronger looking than the last.  
  
Even after the pearl colored energy had dissipated, its form still shifted and changed like liquid as it stared at Bubbles coldly. Its substance was a lime green and it was only vaguely human-like in appearance. It looked human-like, but its form was genderless and even lacked any legs to speak of. It instead moved along the ground gracefully, hardly seeming to move at all.  
  
"Bubbles..." Boston clung to the blond Powerpuff Girls' arm fearfully as the creature waited for her to step forward and begin the battle. The pigtailed puff put one hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled comfortingly before she stepped forward to meet this new opponent.  
  
The two combatants faced each other for a few minutes until finally the creature struck out at her with one whip-like tendril of lime-green substance. Bubbles dodge to the side in a streak of blue light and flung herself at the creature, planting a heavy punch against its side. Her fist simply sunk into its slimy substance without any real effect.  
  
"Uh-oh..." She mumbled before the creature brought its fist around, now formed into a wicked looking hammer. It slammed into the side of her face, knocking her to the ground fifteen feet away and nearly knocking her out cold with that one strike. Weakly she pushed herself up and shook her head. She could feel the bruise on the side of her head already forming.  
  
She pushed herself to her feet and took a few steps back as the gelatinous creature advanced on her. She had no idea how she was supposed to fight something she couldn't even hit. She had to though... she couldn't give up no matter what happened.  
  
With newfound determination Bubbles threw herself at her opponent again, striking it several times in the chest and head. Her blows tore into its body viciously, but they didn't seem to have any lasting effect as the wounds closed up again a moment later. She barely dodged the creatures' counterstrikes and floated away from it again, staring down at it balefully.  
  
She obviously didn't float far enough as one of the creature's tentacles wrapped around her chest, squeezing her painfully tightly. She grunted and pulled at the slimy substance as she was pulled closer to the creature. She let out a small squeak of pain as it squeezed her even tighter, but as her mouth opened its other tentacle plunged into her throat deeply.  
  
"Bubbles!" She could hear Boston behind her as she grunted, desperately trying to pull the thing out of her body so she could breathe again. She could feel its substance running along her lungs, clogging them to the point where she couldn't even hope to move her chest anymore, let alone draw in any air. She yanked desperately at its arm, but nothing seemed to work.  
  
He mind was already hazing over as she looked down at the creature again, suddenly growing a bit calmer in its grasp. She didn't have the energy to struggle anymore, lack of oxygen was getting to her. It just stared up at her coldly, like it was only doing its job, following orders. Well she could understand that well enough.  
  
"Bubbles come on! You can beat it!" Boston shouted from where he was watching the battle. She could hear his voice shaking worriedly... almost like he was crying. "Bubbles please fight it!" He pleaded fearfully. Bubbles looked back at him weakly, turning her eyes alone since her head was locked in place. She was the last Powerpuff Girl still standing, if she went down they would have lost... she and her sisters would all be gone.  
  
She clenched her eyes shut against the throbbing pain in her chest and head as she grabbed the tentacle again, trying to yank it out of the way. It held fast, staying clamped inside her lungs though she felt a small pocket of air enter her body again as she moved it just enough. Her eyes began to glow with a crimson energy beneath her eyelids before she pushed the air against her vocal cords.  
  
A crimson pulse of energy traveled inside of the creatures tentacle up to the elbow, showing through the lime substance before the entire thing bubbled outward... then collapsed in on itself. A crimson shockwave tore from the arm as it vanished, disintegrating the substance of the tentacle. The creature gave a howl of pain and fury as its tentacle imploded, releasing Bubbles from its grasp as it struggled to keep itself in check.  
  
The Powerpuff Girl fell to hr hands and knees on the invisible ground, coughing up the remains of the tentacle that had imploded inside of her lungs. She greedily took in lungfulls of air and lay on the ground weakly for a few moments, trying to regain herself.  
  
"Bubbles!" She heard Boston cry out happily from behind her. She wished she could celebrate, but she still had a creature to fight, and almost no strength to fight it with.  
  
She weakly pushed herself up on shaking legs as the creature began to advance on her again. Its remaining arm formed into a wicked looking blade as she watched, trying to think hard. Her crimson wave had destroyed its arm when it was inside her... there might be a way to beat it... but she'd have to take a huge risk...  
  
She set her mouth in a grim line as she threw herself at the creature, flying as fast as she could. She heard Boston scream n surprise from behind her as she plunged into the liquid substance of the creatures' body, floating inside of it like a fly in a glass of water. She could feel it squeezing itself against her, trying to crush the life out of her as she opened her eyes and peered through its substance at her sisters. She wasn't sure what would happen if it imploded with her inside of it... she just hoped it worked. Calmly she opened her mouth and let out a scream.  
  
Too late the creature realized what was going on as the crimson energy flowed through its entire body. It tried to expunge the Powerpuff Girl from its body, but it was far too late. Its body was already beginning to compress in on itself, collapsing at its very core. In a few moments the entire thing vanished in a burst of crimson energy that streaked through the multicolored arena the Necromancer had chosen to hold this little challenge in.  
  
"Bubbles!" Boston yelled as the pulsing energy slowly began to die down. He could see the Powerpuff Girl lying on the ground where the creature had stood moments before. She didn't seem to be moving... or even breathing at all. "Bubbles no!" Quickly Boston ran over to check on her, making her face upward and slapping her cheeks gently.  
  
"That little..." The Necromancer seethed angrily as he watched the essence of his own son disintegrate before his very eyes. How could he possibly be beaten like this, how could his creation be destroyed?  
  
"I think you have a promise to keep." Brick reminded him as he held Buttercup in his arms steadily. Buttercup and Blossom were still very weak from their own battles, but they still stared over at their sister worriedly. "Bubbles beat your monster, now send us back and go away forever."  
  
"I think not..." The Necromancer smirked evilly. "After all, Bubbles was destroyed as well, so I won technically." He said triumphantly.  
  
"Why you little bastard..." Blossom said angrily as she pushed herself out of Boomer's grasp. Buttercup floated away from Brick to join her, holding the wounds across her chest painfully. "Do you want to fight us... well come on! We've kicked your butt before... and we can do it again!" She exclaimed with tears in her eyes. The Rowdyruff Boys floated up to join the girls so it was four on one, odds the most powerful magic would be hard pressed to overcome.  
  
"You're all weakened enough, I need no monster to defeat you. I can destroy you all myself." The Necromancer taunted them evilly as a jolt of dark energy surged through his staff.  
  
"We may not be at full strength... but we can still kick your butt up and down..." Blossom muttered as she took one threatening step forward, raising her arms in front of her in a fighting position. Buttercup moved up to stand right beside her while the boys stood to either side of them.  
  
"Nobody hurts my sister and gets away with it..." Buttercup added as she pounded her fists together meaningfully.  
  
"Come then, and we shall finish this." The Necromancer told them as he thrust his staff forward. The dark energy flew wildly at the Powerpuff Girls, arching through the air in a constant flow. The heroes all darted out of the way before the energy could strike them, turning to streak at The Necromancer. Before they could reach him though the cloaked figure seemed to vanish into thin air.  
  
"Agh!" They all whirled when they heard a startled exclamation from Boston. They turned to see The Necromancer clutching him by the throat, with him held before the sorcerer like a human shield. The kid clutched at the hand that held his throat, cutting off his air supply.  
  
"Damn you to HELL you bastard!" Brick said through teeth clenched in fury.  
  
"I'm taking the kid with me." The Necromancer replied with a grin as he reached his staff behind him. It pulsed with a pearl white energy again as he seemed to make a tear right in the myriad of colors that pulsed around them. Before anyone could stop him he leapt through the tear, leaving the heroes to just stare after him seething.  
  
"I knew he couldn't be trusted..." Brick seethed angrily.  
  
"Let's go get him then..." Buttercup turned to Blossom seriously. "You should stay with Bubbles... I've had more time to rest and we can't leave her alone." She said firmly. For a moment Blossom looked about to argue the point, but the look in her sisters' eyes was enough for her to silently close her mouth and nod in agreement.  
  
"Let's get rid of this Necrobastard once and for all." Boomer said confidently as he joined Buttercup and Brick by the tear. They nodded back before the three of them turned to head into the portal. Nothing could be seen as the light engulfed them until finally, they emerged into normal light. They looked around in confusion at the scene before them.  
  
It was bitterly cold as a snowy wind swept across a vast plain that seemed to be covered completely in the thick white power. The sky was dark blue with what almost looked like nothing more than a residual glow reflecting off of the ice spikes that jutted up from the snow. Behind them the strange tear that had brought them here vanished.  
  
"Welcome to the haven for souls such as myself... the realm that even the Lords of Eternity dare not tread now." They whirled again to see their quarry standing on what looked like a frozen river, still clutching Boston by the throat.  
  
"Give me back my son." Brick told him firmly with fire burning in his eyes. The Necromancer ignored him though.  
  
"I suppose if this world were still the old one... we would all be headed here anyway." The Necromancer mused to himself. "Perhaps it still could be..."  
  
"What are you babbling about?" Boomer demanded irritably. "Either make sense or shut up already!"  
  
"You don't recognize it?" The Necromancer grinned evilly. "This is the haven for damned souls, Hell itself! Frozen in time and space... forgotten by the current lords who see it as nothing more than a wasteland. Him once had rekindled the fires of just a small section, but now with him gone... it stands to me to restore it to its former glory and rule over it as an immortal." He stared at them meaningfully when he spoke those last words.  
  
"All you're getting is a good butt-kicking if you don't let Boston go right NOW!" Brick howled loudly enough to send his voice clear across the landscape.  
  
"You cannot match my power here. Come then, let us finish this!" The Necromancer flung Boston out of the way and brought his staff forth. The pure raw energy that flowed from it was blood red, augmented by the power that still resided in the depths of this, the unholiest of places. The heroes all dodged out of the way and streaked toward him again. This time he stood his ground.  
  
Boston landed hard on one of the patches of ice that looked like it had once been a river or a lava flow. He pushed himself to his hands and feet, staring down at the ice. He quirked an eyebrow curiously when he saw something beneath the ice.  
  
The blood red power surged out of the Necromancer before Buttercup or either Rowdyruff Boy could strike him, sending them all flying back to the snow. He struck one hand forward quickly, sending a bolt of power right at Buttercup, who was already weakened from her battle with his creation.  
  
"Buttercup!" Brick howled as the power struck her. A pained scream erupted from her throat for a moment as she was pushed back along the snow, leaving a small trail behind her. Slowly he turned to glare at the Necromancer again, clenching his fists tightly by his side as he lunged with a howl of rage.  
  
Boston bent down a bit further to look deeper into the ice, now clearly seeing what almost looked like the outline of someone's head... there was something alive trapped in the ice... or something that had once been alive anyway. He looked back at his father engaged in battle with the Necromancer, then looked down at the ice again, almost transfixed.  
  
Boomer quickly joined his brothers' barrage of blows against the Necromancer. It was almost like he wasn't even there however. Not one punch struck with enough force to do any significant damage. It was almost like fighting a specter rather than fighting a man.  
  
Two more surges of blood red power threw both Rowdyruff boys back into the snow again... but it didn't let up once they were down. The power continued to surge through them, striking right down to the very core of their beings. Buttercup slowly pushed herself up to her hands and knees, clutching her wounded chest and glaring at the Necromancer angrily.  
  
Boston cautiously touched his hand to the ice over the frozen figure. A warm red glow spread across the ice, flowing into his hand slowly and through his entire body. He closed his eyes slowly, feeling it encompassing every inch of his being, and then spreading even more until it seemed he would explode from the sheer volume of the power. Slowly he stood up, his head hanging down to his chest.  
  
Buttercup hurled herself at the Necromancer, slamming her fist as hard into his face as she could while the Rowdyruff Boys distracted him. The blow sent him stumbling back in the snow, barely catching himself before he fell to the snow. The boys pushes themselves slowly up now that the energy had dissipated, each of them glaring at the sorcerer hatefully.  
  
"Extretis nuerte puletrin." The Necromancer chanted as he threw his hand forward. A wave of energy swept toward the three heroes, sending them all flying back to the snow with enough force to sent the white powder flying into the air. They all gasped in pain when they struck the ground, clutching different parts of their bodies as they struggled to get back up.  
  
"Enough..." The Necromancer turned when Boston's voice came from behind him. The boy was still staring blankly down at the ice with his hair covering his eyes. "I won't watch you hurt my dad..." He looked up now, his eyes set and dead serious as the cold wind whipped at his clothing and hair.  
  
"Then you will die first." The Necromancer brought his hand up and unleashed a pure crimson blast that ripped through the falling sheet of snow. Brick screamed out a warning, but he was too later as the shot slammed right into Boston's chest... with no discernable effect. The boy just took it head on without even blinking against the power.  
  
"You only want to be immortal for your own search for power, well even the side of evil has a purpose." Boston said rhetorically as he walked toward the Necromancer. As he walked the snow around each footstep melted into a gap about a foot in diameter, almost as if he were burning white hot.  
  
"No... no..." The Necromancer stuttered, horrified as the boy walked toward him. He stumbled back away from him, suddenly becoming angry. "No, why would he grant YOU his power and not me!?" He screamed. "I am now the most powerful being of evil in the universe, why would he not give ME his immortality!?"  
  
"Because you're a fool." Boston said as he raised one hand. A blood red streak of extremely focused energy ripped through the air, melting every droplet of snow within a twenty-foot radius instantly and heating everyone up to an uncomfortable level. The Necromancer let out a scream as it tore right through his chest, throwing him to the snow heavily. As the beam died down the once molten rock they stood upon began to cool again, giving off a bit of steam.  
  
"Why... why..." The Necromancer chanted to himself as his strength began to fade. Finally with a shudder his strength gave out and left him still... dead in the arms of the very Hell that he'd wanted to lead. Of course death in the worlds of the dead meant non-existence.  
  
"Boston..." Brick whispered in awe as he stared at his son. The change was extraordinary. Every aspect of boyhood that had begun to form inside of him had been wiped clean, only the same darkness and determination that he'd shown when paired with Mange shone through now.  
  
"You all go home..." Boston said softly as he looked up at his father. For a moment his eyes flashed in recognition, but then that same glazed over look of darkness prevailed again. "I must rebuild my realm from the ground up." He told them darkly.  
  
"Your realm... who are you?" Boomer asked softly. Boston didn't reply, but instead just raised his hand, which glowed with dark fire. It enveloped the Rowdyruff Boys and Buttercup, sending them back to the front of their home. Brick gasped and looked up at the sky in a panic when he realized Boston was not with them any longer.  
  
"Guys? What's going on?" Blossom asked as she too looked around. Bubbles was conscious, though obviously she was still badly hurt. "Did we miss something?"  
  
"Yeah..." Buttercup muttered as she put one comforting hand on Brick's shoulder. "Something big I think..." He looked over at her and gazed into her eyes for a few moments, looking for some comfort. He had been getting attached to the kid, and now he'd just tossed them away like bugs.  
  
"Come on, we could all use a good rest." Boomer suggested as he helped Blossom to her feet and picked up Bubbles, who looked too drained to even move all that much. Slowly they turned and went inside to rest up for whatever would come next. Whatever it was, they had to be ready for it somehow.  
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Boston wandered calmly along the plains of Hell, watching as the snow slowly began to melt and the steaming lava that had once signified his domain once again became active. Billions of millenia he'd been encased in that ice trap... but he'd only been alive a few years. He was the master of darkness... but Brick was his father. His mind was raging with conflicting thoughts and memories... he needed to sort them out.  
  
He squinted his eyes slightly as he approached the throne that was made of human bones strewn together. Slowly he approached and climbed up on the seat, standing and turning to look out over his realm as it slowly returned to what t had been. His hands stretched to his sides as he felt his back tearing apart painfully. The pain lasted only a few moments though as his shirt was ripped right off of him.  
  
A pair of dark red wings opened in a snap as he stood upon his throne. He was back... wherever he had been or whoever he was now... he was home.  
  
THE END 


	11. 310- The Unforgiven

310- The Unforgiven  
  
  
Under the cover of darkness something moved, writhing rhythmically against something else that was moving similarly. The blanket covering them moved along with them furiously, rustling and fluffing out as the temptress sealed her hold on the impressionable boy she'd coaxed into this.  
  
Boston's eyes flashed open for a moment, full of emotions of every kind as he sees the events of the past unfolding before him. Anger, pain, revelation... this power he'd been granted allowed him to see everything he desired, every little secret was his to know... now he was almost wishing he didn't have such power as he closed his eyes again. This was where he'd been conceived... supposedly.  
  
"Very good boy..." The seductress murmured as she stroked her hand along the boys' cheek. Suddenly time seemed to speed up... fast forwarding at Boston's command. He watched as Buttercup confronted the two, ending with the two getting away and retreating into the relative safety of Him's lair. He watched curiously as his mother continued to seduce Brick, night after night, whenever she pleased.  
  
After awhile Him ripped Brick from her grasp to set him against the Powerpuff Girls... leaving Sedusa alone and throwing her out into the world again, confused and shaken by forces she couldn't really understand. Boston watched as she wandered aimlessly for weeks... with no signs of pregnancy. She left Townsville far behind and eventually found her way elsewhere... where she suddenly began having symptoms of being with child...  
  
Boston opened his eyes again, full of doubt and fear as he looked down at his own hands. From what he'd been seeing... he couldn't see any way that Brick was his real father. The Professors were right, he had been too young... but if he wasn't... then who was?  
  
He looked up at the gray sky idly as the rain beat down on him, soaking his clothing all the way through and beating off of his outstretched wings. He could feel that he wasn't human anymore, he could feel something stirring inside of him, flowing through his veins and even his very soul. Somehow... he had the feeling that this all was linked in some way to his past, the one he'd never been told. Only one person... one being alive might be able to tell him about that past.  
  
He took a deep breath as he pushed himself up off of the ledge he'd hidden himself on. His wings stretched out all the way and his eyes narrowed with determination before he threw himself off the building quickly. His wings caught the frantic winds and carried him through the gray sky easily, taking him back to the one being who'd been with him since before he could remember...  
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Brick stood idly under the gentle downpour that soaked his clothes, likely ruining his red cap beyond all repair. He didn't care though, he simply stared up at the gray sky, wondering and thinking. He'd gotten used to having Boston around, even gotten to treasure the kid and just like that he'd just left. With little more than a nod he'd left his life, quite possibly forever. Was that what it was like to lose ones son? If it was he wasn't sure he wanted another child...  
  
"Brick, come inside." Buttercups voice came from the door behind him. She hid in the relatively dry house, staring out at him worriedly as he gave no response. "You can stare at the clouds all you want just do it in here." She said in an attempt to coax him inside.  
  
"I'll be in in a little while..." He told her off-handedly. He was really barely paying attention to her.  
  
"Brick, if I have to come out there and get you I'm kicking your butt on the way in for making me get wet. Now come on." Buttercup said more firmly, pointing inside the house. He didn't even notice of course, never taking his gaze away from the clouds overhead. He didn't even seem to notice the rain at all.  
  
"In a while..." He muttered again, reaching one hand up to take his hat off and shake some water off. More water replaced it almost instantly of course. He frowned at this and sighed as he put it back on his head. He gasp a startled gasp and whirled when he felt a foot slam into his butt, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to notice.  
  
"I warned you, now come on." Buttercup demanded sternly and pointed to the front door again. She was already starting to get soaked from the rain just coming out after him. Her hair was soaked through, hanging down limply instead of staying up in its normal style.  
  
"Well fine..." Brick grumped as he started moving toward the door. In a flash of crimson though he vanished and appeared right behind Buttercup. He grabbed her hands and brought them up behind her back, trapping them there and putting his mouth next to her ear. He chuckled and grinned triumphantly.  
  
"Don't make me get rough boy." Buttercup smiled challengingly and turned her head to look at him as sternly as she could in that position. The rain ran down her face quickly, almost giving her a soft halo of light as the light from the living room shined off of her. Her clothing was already as soaked through as his, clinging to her skin firmly.  
  
"I don't plan on it at all..." Brick replied with a half-smile as he leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips. She kissed him back gently, then turned around to wrap her arms around him when he let go of them. The rain washed over both of them as they held the kiss, the rush of the kiss and the rain overwhelming the senses in an odd way.  
  
Neither of them even noticed a small figure scaling down the side of their house behind them, clinging to the surface like a spider until it finally made its way inside through the front door. It was careful about not bringing too much attention to itself as it slipped in, clinging to the roof and looking around cautiously.  
  
Boston shook his wings off quickly as he made his way through the house slowly, keeping an eye out for the others. Luckily the living room was empty, giving him a straight shot to the basement laboratory where the Dynamo was stored with its occupant trapped inside.  
  
He crept up to the door and pushed up open gently, peeking in before he opened it any more. The Professor was working on something or other, mixing various chemicals and compounds together in a group of small flasks gathered in front of him for easy handling. He could turn around at any moment, Boston needed to move as fast as possible without alerting him...  
  
Quickly Boston leapt off the side of the stairs, unfurling his wings and turning in mid air toward the elevator that led into the even deeper levels of the lab. A gust of wind was all the Professor felt as the kid passed by him, putting his feet forward to stop himself before he slammed face first into the back wall of the lift. The double doors slid closed before he could be spotted. The muted exclamation of surprise was all he heard before he started moving downward toward his destination.  
  
The double doors opened again into a small control room, beyond which stood the giant form of the Powerpuff Dynamo. It looked still and dormant, but he knew it was still active, just contained for now. Quickly he walked forward through the control room, heading into the loading area itself.  
  
The Dynamo's eyes flashed and its mouth curled up a bit in a half smile, but the rest of it was unable to move at all. "I see you've changed a bit my son... you've found your calling." Mange said through the robots mouth.  
  
"I only have one question for you..." Boston said as he stared up at the things huge head. It was hard to imagine that this was the thing he'd once viewed as his own mother. "What really happened to bring me into this world... I know everything you told me was a lie... so what's the truth?" He asked firmly.  
  
"The truth is that the power that inhabits you now is what I counted on to destroy those girls once and for all..." Mange replied simply. "Even Hims evil wasn't great enough to conquer them... so I went above even his head." Her voice almost sounded prideful as she spoke.  
  
"What's inside me...?" Boston asked as he looked down at his now shaking hands. "And who's my father... what really happened, what's happening now!?" He demanded more loudly, growing more angry by the second.  
  
"Do you see that console over there..." Mange pointed one of the ponytails on the robots head toward a console in the control room. "That is what keeps me trapped here in the darkness, unable to move my body... destroy it, and I'll tell you everything you want to know."  
  
Boston stared at the panel for only a few moments before he walked over and tore his fist into it. Sparks flashed and flew through the air as he angrily tore the entire thing to shreds. The Dynamo lurched a bit at the electronic locks on its body gave way, allowing it freedom of movement once again.  
  
Mange flexed her arms idly as she explained a bit. "You were born from Sedusa, that was true... but you technically have no father." The Dynamo's grin widened a bit at this. "I snuck into hell and stole a bit of the former Lord's essence... that was what not only gave you life, but also ended hers."  
  
"You... you killed my mother!" Boston shouted angrily. "I trusted you blindly like a rat when it was YOU who made my life like this..."  
  
"Sedusa was a whore, you're lucky I didn't let you stay with her!" Mange replied angrily. "I nurtured you like you were my own son because you were... I trained you and raised you and in the end I get stabbed in the back... well now do you see where your loyalties should lie?" She asked.  
  
"If you were responsible for her death... then I'm betting I wasn't abandoned either... you stole me from the hospital to teach me nothing but hatred... to hate those who have done nothing to ME." Boston fumed furiously. "Now answer this, WHAT is inside of me... WHAT is taking control of me..." He looked down at his hands again to see a spark of dark red energy surging through them both.  
  
"In a word... your father." Mange replied ironically. "I must admit I knew if you ever came into close enough contact with him you would absorb some of his strength, but I never knew it would be so much." She said.  
  
"My father..." Boston mumbled to himself, realizing just what that meant. He took little notice when the elevator finally opened and the ruffs/puffs floated out to see what was going on.  
  
"Boston! What are you doing!?" Brick exclaimed when he saw the boy he thought what his son standing in front of a now mobile Dynamo.  
  
"You can feel your destiny before you... can't you son?" Mange asked calmly, ignoring the others, who were staring at them in surprise. "You can feel it in your very soul... you can feel what you should do." She said tauntingly, the mouth of the Dynamo spreading into an even wider grin.  
  
"You lied to me so much..." Boston said softly. His fists were shaking as he looked down at them. His wings nervously beat at the air, folding and unfolding as he slowly looked up at the Dynamo. His breath came a bit harder as he stared up at the robot with the blood red energy surging through him. "You killed my mother... and lied about my father..."  
  
"Lied... what?" Brick asked confusedly as he looked over at Boston.  
  
"It was all for both of our good." Mange told him confidently. "Now you're more powerful than the lot of them combined, you can destroy them... with the help of the one who granted you your power."  
  
"Boston what's going on here?" Brick was obviously very confused as he looked back and forth between Mange and Boston, ready to fight at a moments notice.  
  
"My power... is enough to destroy YOU... liar!" Boston suddenly hurled himself at the Dynamo, his arms flooding with piercingly bright fire. One hooked punch was enough to sever the arm Mange brought up to protect herself. It fell to the ground with the loud clanging sound of metal on metal while the Dynamo stumbled back, clutching the severed appendage though it felt no pain.  
  
"Stop this! You're supposed to help me not fight me!" Mange reminded him as she stumbled back against the wall away from his wild swings.  
  
"I'll k... uuuurgh..." Boston clutched his head tightly as the intense power flooded through him, pouring through his entire body like blood veins. The others all watching in amazement as clawed fingers sprung from his hands, his entire body bulking up slightly, almost like a demon...  
  
"Interesting..." Mange commented as she studied the boy. "Using his power has granted more of his power... and likely his essence into you." She grinned when she realized what this meant. "You are like a vessel for him... bringing him back into the world... perhaps to end it."  
  
"All I'm ending..." Boston replied darkly as he looked up at the giant robot before. "Are your lies..." In a flash he shot forward again, his entire body pulsing with hellfire as he slammed into the Dynamo's chest. He tore straight into it, slamming it into the back wall with pure red energy flowing through its circuitry. Mange gave a startled scream of pain before the entire robot burst into flames in a brilliant explosion. The puffs and ruffs quickly took shelter in the control room.  
  
"Boston!" Brick shouted worriedly, peeking his head over the window to try to get a glimpse of his supposed son. The others all looked as well to see the boy standing in the middle of the carnage. The force required to decimate the Dynamo had changed him yet again. His wingspan was far longer and his claws gleamed wetly with poison. His body was in general much bigger.  
  
Slowly the kid turned around in response to his name being called. His eyes flashed brightly with an inner fire. It was no longer even Boston anymore, he'd been taken over by... something.  
  
"It's time to set the balance right... the only way possible." Boston's voice was darker than anything they had ever heard before he took to the air. Brick yelled after him and started to give chase, but his son moved faster than he could hope to match. There was nothing he could do but watch his child fly away, likely to do some evil he himself would have to stop...  
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The creature landed at the football stadium, where the energy signature of his underling was strongest in the entire city. He could sense immediately what had happened as he entered, seeing the events in his mind as clearly as if he'd been present. He saw his son fighting, and his grandson slain. He was beyond caring though, he cared not for even those he would call family. He only wanted to begin his reign again after so long being confined.  
  
As he moved into the center of the room he realized he could sense something else out there with an energy signature similar to that of his underling. Three in fact... there were still pieces of Him contained inside mortals somewhere on this world... all he had to do was find them and he could revive his pupil. He didn't need much time, only a little bit would suffice.  
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A sharp stab of pain was all Mange felt as the Dynamo exploded practically from inside of her. She could feel the surge of power that came right before the explosion. It roared through her essence for what seemed like forever mercilessly, a torture she could never hope to survive with her sanity intact.  
  
Somehow though the pain ended and she found herself floating in empty space again, a darkness she could not name and didn't know. She couldn't guess what had happened to her now. She'd gone through so many transformations in the last few years, so many transitions, she was almost afraid to see what this new event would bring to her.  
  
Her mind idly wandered to her son and what she had seen happening to him even as he'd torn into her. She had wanted him to obtain the power of the Dark Prince himself, but she hadn't wanted him to be taken over completely. She hadn't known his entire life would be erased once the darkness was unleashed, but that was what had happened. She had effectively killed her own son... she had to do something. What though... she couldn't even move now... or could she?  
  
She could feel something moving in the darkness with her, so she mentally grabbed onto it and let it carry her along the darkness. It moves more rapidly than anything she'd ever known, pushing her along at a rate no physical body could match. At the sight of a light beneath her she let go of the energy and flowed down to it... to look down at a sidewalk.  
  
She blinked in confusion until she realized the spot directly beneath her was lighted as though she were the light... and a quick glance to either side revealed she was indeed level with the street lamps. She was inside the electrical grid of the city itself... she could go anywhere and do anything from here.  
  
A grin passed through her mind as she watched the rain fall against the sidewalk below her. She could do something to help her son, but she couldn't do it alone. She needed help from someone she wasn't at all sure would grant it...  
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"I swear rain is like an epidemic in this town... we seriously need to leave this place." Buttercup commented as she stared out at the downpour irritably. The Whoopass Girls had decided to remain in Townsville because the Professor was still testing their substance to see if they were stable enough to survive without help. It was obviously a long process, but they decided to play it safe rather than be sorry later.  
  
"As soon as we get a clean bill of health we'll blow this shower." Blossom told her with a wink. Bubbles didn't seem to mind sticking around as much as the others. Actually she got a downright forlorn look on her face whenever her sisters spoke of leaving. They knew it was probably still because of Eli, which was one of the reasons they wanted to leave so bad.  
  
"As least no giant worms will attack us out of the blue this time." Bubbles commented drolly as she crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"So you're the ones who've inherited my apprentices spirit..." The three girls whirled to see a vaguely human-like shape facing them from the entrance. He looked somewhat familiar, but it didn't ring any bells to them.  
  
"For crying out loud is rain like a signal for weirdoes? It always brings the monsters out of the mud." Blossom exclaimed in disgust as she pushed herself up to face this new figure. "Look buddy, whatever your problem is we got nothing to do with it, you want the Powerpuff Girls most likely."  
  
"I don't care about them one way or another." The boy told them darkly with a slight smirk. "Now one of you little darlings come with me, I have something I need to... test."  
  
"Try and take us bastard." Buttercup replied firmly as she and her sisters got into a battle formation.  
  
"As you wish." Boston raised one hand in front of him toward the girls without even moving the rest of his body. His hand flashed with red-hot fire a moment before it came flying out from his hand, engulfing all three girls along with the rest of the small apartment they'd set up. The fire raged out of control and spread along the entire length of the room, incinerating everything almost instantly. The girls were flung to the back wall with enough force to send them right through it.  
  
They plummeted through the rain limply until they all slammed into the ground at once, lying still on the cold, wet, and cracked pavement. Bostons wings were spread to their fullest as he calmly floated down the side of the tall clocktower to land in front of Bubbles.  
  
"You'll do nicely." He said with a grin as he grabbed her by the front of her dress. She didn't stir even the slightest bit as he took to the air again, heading back to his kingdom which would once again be glorious someday. He would make sure of that.  
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"What do we do..." Brick mumbled miserably as he leaned against buttercup on the couch. She had her arms around him gently, trying to coax him into a somewhat better mood. Nobody could really blame him for being so depressed though, there was really nothing for him to be happy about right now. His son was possessed by... something and they had to stop him... again.  
  
"We'll find him somehow." Buttercup assured him gently as she stroked the hair on his capless head. "We'll bring him back to how he was... if we have to fight the devil himself I swear we will." She swore firmly enough to draw a curious glance from him.  
  
"Oddly, you're not TOO far off the mark." The puffs and ruffs looked around quickly at the sound of a familiar voice echoing through the room. "Actually, you're 'dead' on..." Mange's laughter echoes until they finally realized it was coming from the Professor's radio.  
  
"Haven't you done enough damage yet?" Buttercup demanded acidly.  
  
"I need your help you twit." Mange replied. "I want you to save my son." She sounded almost serious at the moment, though the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys knew better than to take her word at face value.  
  
"Why should we believe anything you say?" Blossom demanded.  
  
"Because I wanted him to help me destroy you, not get taken over by the devil himself to destroy the entire planet. What do you think I am, insane?" Silence prevailed in the room for a few moments, following by Mange's huff of anger. "Well that doesn't matter right now. You're heroes, you help ANYONE in need right? I can lead you right to them as long as they're on Earth."  
  
"How?" Brick demanded.  
  
"The explosion in the Dynamo must have pushed my energy into the console my son smashed... I'm inside the electrical mainframe, or the internet if you prefer. It's the year 2008, everything on the planet is hooked up by now. If they so much as step on the wrong patch of land, I'll see them." Mange explained.  
  
"Once we do it, what then? Are you going to mess with some electrical circuits or something to mess US up?" Boomer asked quickly. The others just stared at him. They were focused on simply saving Boston, but they realized the blue ruff was right. From the electrical system, Mange could make all of their lives a living hell.  
  
"If you help me now, I swear not to directly do anything to you... it's my son I'm worried about now. I don't give a sh*t about YOU." Mange replied drolly.  
  
"Let's get one thing straight right now that's MY son, not yours." Brick said.  
  
"Ignorant little boy." Mange said in a mocking tone. "You didn't even hear... he's not your real son. You were way too young at the time for anyone to reasonably think you were..." The voice said. "Just goes to show how stupid and gullible you people really are."  
  
"I don't care if I'm biologically his father or not..." Brick muttered determinedly. "He's been with us for over two months now after YOU left him... he's still my son no matter what you say." Mange remained silent for a long while. "Now let's get started on finding them so we can get that kid back, no matter whose son he is."  
  
"I have to wait until I hear about anything unusual... it's a waiting game now. Wherever they appear on Earth, I will see them." Mange said somewhat quietly. That was it, they could only wait until they appeared again and try to do anything they could to get Boston back.  
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"Oh..." Bubbles opened her eyes slowly, squinting against the pain that was still throbbing in her head. In front of her she could see a throne that looked like it was made out of bones strung together. A reddish hue was cast over everything in sight by a flowing river of magma nearby. The heat was already making her sweat furiously.  
  
"Good morning." She jerked her head to the side suddenly to see the kid that always hung out with the puffs lately staring at her. He looked bigger though, much bigger. The wings that sprouted from his back were fanning against the air gently.  
  
"What's going on here?" Bubbles tried to push herself off from the wall and face this new foe, but she was attached firmly somehow. She didn't even see any bonds, but she still found she couldn't move an inch.  
  
"Now that you're awake, I can finally get to business." The dark looking figure said as he stood up and approached the trapped Whoopass Girl. She tried to pull away from him, but she still couldn't move her arms or legs away from the wall no matter what she did.  
  
She tried to fire her heat vision, but it didn't seem to phase him at all as he moved up right in front of her. "Excuse me... this may hurt a lot." Boston said with a grin as he put one hand to her chest. She could feel some kind of energy pulsing through her, spreading through her body like blood-veins. The energy pulsed brightly through her skin and clothing alike.  
  
She let out a strangled scream as his hand pushed it's way inside of her chest with a flash of brilliant energy. Her eyes clenched shut tightly as he slowly withdrew his hand, taking the strange energy out of her body with it. When it was finally out however she felt cold and empty, as though something vital were missing from her.  
  
"Yes... you were made by Him... thus received part of his... Essence." Bubbles finally opened her eyes to see Boston now holding a dark, pulsing orb of energy. She'd never seen it before, but somehow she knew what it was. Still, there wasn't anything she could do about it. She could already feel the strength leaving her body since her very soul had just been removed.  
  
"Thank you for your cooperation." Boston said with a malicious grin just before everything went black to her.  
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"Uhn... what... was that..." Blossom mumbled as she finally regained consciousness on the street. The rain was still pouring down on her, soaking her and generally making her completely miserable. She looked around quickly to see Buttercup lying on the street beside her still unconscious, but she couldn't see Bubbles anywhere nearby.  
  
"Bubbles... Bubbles!" She pushed herself to her feet roughly, leaning against the side of the building for support when her legs felt like they were about to give out on her. At the sound of her sisters' cries Buttercup stirred somewhat, moaning as painfully as Blossom felt.  
  
"What's going on... God my head hurts..." Buttercup moaned painfully as she pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the pouring rain.  
  
"I'm not exactly sure, but Bubbles is gone." Blossom said frantically. Sure the Whoopass Girls were generally evil, but evil didn't mean they didn't care about each other.  
  
"She probably went off to find whoever did this... we should go find her and them. Beat the stuffing out of them." Buttercup said angrily.  
  
"So YOU want to fight ME?" They both whirled at the sound of a voice that sounded hauntingly familiar. An almost flutelike voice that echoed in the alley eerily as a red figure materialized in front of them. It was clearly male but appeared almost feminine in appearance, though his eyes betrayed his true nature.  
  
"Him... master" They both muttered in fear and awe when they saw him. The last they had heard of him, he was supposed to be dead. What was he doing back here?  
  
"You remember me, very good." Him said with a pleased grin. "Are you still willing to serve under me then?" He asked curiously.  
  
"Of course... you made us." Blossom replied instantly. Buttercup however looked more cautious and distrustful.  
  
"Good, then come closer." Him said in that same disarmingly dulcet tone of voice. Blossom floated up to him slowly, looking a bit more nervous herself now as she approached him. "It's not that hard, all you have to do is give me your SOUL." His voice suddenly grew darker as one blood red claw clutched Blossom by the neck.  
  
"Blossom!" Buttercup shouted in alarm when Him's claw started pulsing with dark light. It spread through Blossom's entire body, pulsing through her violently. Blossom's body shivered and convulsed as the energy seeped out of her and into Him's claw, flowing through him in a moment before it vanished into his skin. Finally he let the once proud leader of the Whoopass Girls fall limply to the ground, turning to smirk at Buttercup.  
  
"Much better, I can feel more strength returning, come nourish your master even more." Him said in that dulcet tone of voice Buttercup knew better than to trust, especially now.  
  
"You... you..." Buttercup's mind seethed with unbridled rage, but she knew better than to try to fight him on her own. Even if he was apparently not at full strength, she wouldn't stand a prayer against him alone. "You won't get away with this you... monster!" she howled fiercely.  
  
"You're my creation, I can do with you as I wish." Him replied steadily. His voice was a bit darker though, getting more annoyed at this resistance to his authority.  
  
"Yes I am your creation, so I guess I got your attitude." Buttercup told him firmly. He stared at her for a few moments before she finally looked him straight in the eye. "F*ck you." In a flash of green light she shot forward, slamming one fist into his face with enough force to send him barreling through the side of the building nearby.  
  
Before he could regain his bearings she took off into the still raining night, letting the rain wash away the tears that crept out of her eyes from witnessing her own sister's demise. She knew she could not let Him get away with this, but she knew she needed help... there was only one place to turn...  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"He's out there somewhere, I picked up something on underground motion sensors I don't think could possibly be human." Mange's voice said from the small electronic headset Blossom wore as she and Boomer flew across the night sky toward the area the specter had indicated. Bubbles, Brick and Buttercup had gone around to check out another site that had appeared to have suspicious activity.  
  
"Yeah well where is... wha?" Blossom and Boomer stopped cold as a green streak of light passed right between them going in the opposite direction. Buttercup was still with the other group, so that only left one possibility...  
  
"Hey hold on a minute!" Blossom shouted as they took off after the green pinpoint of light. After a few minutes they finally caught up to her and grabbed hold of her arms, stopping her in her tracks. She whirled in them viciously with her mouth twisted into an angry snarl. In a moment though she seemed to recognize the forms floating in front of her and calmed down somewhat. "What's going on?"  
  
"You..." Buttercup looked dazed and angry and just about every emotion the Powerpuff Girl could name as she simply stared back dazedly. Her eyes went a bit wider just before she thrust her hand forward quickly. "Watch out!" Blossom and Boomer whirled just in time to see a blast of crimson energy streaking toward them.  
  
"Scramble!" Blossom yelled quickly. The three PPG/RRB/WAG took off in different direction, leaving the beam to slam into the ground and kick up a mountain of debris from the street below them.  
  
"Very good Powerpuff Girl." Blossom's heart practically froze when she heard that familiar flutelike voice. It twisted even more when it was followed by an even darker tone of voice. "Now let's see if you can defeat me." They all looked up as a dark crimson shape descended on them with pulsing green eyes.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Look at this..." Bubbles said in awe as she, Buttercup and Brick surveyed the damage to the clock tower. The entire place looked like it had been immolated in under an instant. The entire back wall was punched out and in the alley behind it the ground was cracked like something had fallen with a lot of force.  
  
"I think it's safe to say he's here... somewhere." Buttercup commented as she slowly turned to look around the blasted and destroyed room. Nothing seemed to move in the stillness except for the puffs and lone ruff as they cautiously searched the area.  
  
"You again." They all whirled to see a black shape silhouetted in the little light that fed through the hole in the back of the wall. A pair of magnificent wings spread from the figures back, betraying his identity. The rain was still pouring, making it even darker. "If you're going to keep bugging me I had might as well end your lives right here and now."  
  
"I don't want to hurt you..." Brick said, though he assumed a fighting position and stared down the figure that had once been his son.  
  
"You don't have to worry about that." Boston replied with an evil grin as the two puffs moved to join Brick in his battle stance. For a few long, tense moments the two sides simply faced off. Finally Brick put a restraining hand on each of the girls' shoulders before he thrust himself forward to press the attack.  
  
He let loose a barrage of blows as he neared the dark form of the creature, but not one of them seemed to be able to connect. His opponents size apparently did not hinder his movement one bit as he dodged and ducked nimbly with a mocking grin on his face. After a minute or so he finally struck back, slashing one clawed hand across his once fathers face. The blow had enough force behind it to send Brick hurdling into some burned out furniture heavily.  
  
"Alright! Enough! Come on Bubbles!" Buttercup howled angrily. In two flashes of light the Powerpuff Girls were on Boston, striking with all the speed and strength they could put forth. Still Boston managed to avoid every strike, moving more like a snake than a man as he moved around every single strike either girl could throw at him.  
  
Finally one of his fists slammed into the side of Bubbles' face, sending her spinning to the ground heavily. The distraction was enough though or Buttercup to land a pair of huge spinning kicks, sending him reeling back. As the Brunette puff pressed her advantage Brick jumped back into the fray to replace Bubbles, who was still on the ground resting up.  
  
The fight raged on even longer until Boston managed to slam one foot into Buttercup's stomach, sending her flying back against the far wall painfully. Again Bubbles leapt up to take her place, fighting with Brick in the continuing barrage. They were both caught off guard however when Boston whirled with a huge kick, slamming them both to the ground with one well-timed blow.  
  
"Not bad for mortals... I guess my own mortal body slows me down somewhat." Boston said as he ran one claw across his cheek where Buttercup's kicks had landed. "No matter, I have bigger things to attend to." With that flames spread outward from his body, engulfing him until he simply vanished into thin air.  
  
"Where is he going?" Buttercup asked as she pushed herself to her feet. The others joined her in a moment and the answer dawned on all of them at once.  
  
"The others!" They realized quickly. In three flashes of light they streaked out of the building as fast as they could. They could only hope that they didn't arrive too late.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The sound of Him's dulcet laughter echoed through the night as countless images floated among the three heroes. It seemed impossible to tell which one was actually Him until he made a strike, by which time it was usually too late to do anything about it.  
  
"What's the matter little girl? Confused? So much for the great leader." Him mocked as one image floated dangerously close to her. She took a cautious swing at it, but her fist passed right through it without effect. "Why don't you just..." His voice grew darker with every word. "Give up and die."  
  
"Why don't you just fight us head on you coward!?" Boomer demanded as he floated up to stay beside blossom. Buttercup followed quit, though she looked like she was only fighting with them because she needed them for now. They barely had time to get out of the way as a crimson blast roared through the air toward them.  
  
"Haven't you learned by now? You can never beat us!" Blossom yelled angrily, suddenly having a thought run through her head. There was only one voice coming from the entire group, probably from the real one. If she could keep him talking, she might be able to find the real Him before he struck.  
  
"Oh little girl, so naïve and gullible." Him's voice floated back tauntingly. "You think that being a hero is going to save you? I'm no longer hindered by the decree of the lord of Eternity, because I've already gone and come back. I can do whatever I want now." He said evilly.  
  
"Like run your big fat mouth too much?" Blossom asked as she threw herself at a seemingly random image. To the others' surprise her blow connected, sending Him reeling back in the sky. The rest of he images vanished as Buttercup and Boomer flew up to join her.  
  
To their surprise Him just let out a cruel laugh and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I won't even have to lift a finger." He said gleefully. The heroes whirled just in time to see a bullet of white-hot flames searing toward them. Buttercup and Boomer lunged to the side in the nick of time, but the blast slammed into Blossom head on. The flames seared her skin painfully as she plummeted from the sky.  
  
"Blossom!" Boomer yelled fearfully as he streaked down to catch her before she could hit the pavement. He held her carefully as he looked back up to see Buttercup trapped between Boston and Him.  
  
"Nowhere to run now, and no one to help you." Him taunted her mercilessly. "You had might as well have given yourself up." He said as he took several steps toward her in the sky. She tried to move and fight back, but her arms and legs felt like they were being held in place by some invisible force.  
  
She turned her face away as one red pincer closed around her neck. She could feel the energy creeping along it toward her. It was so close she could almost feel it inside of her already. Her eyes clenched shut in anticipation of the end she knew was coming.  
  
Before it could flow into her however a blue streak slammed into Him from above, carrying him all the way down to the ground where they were buried under the flying debris for a few moments. When the dust finally cleared Bubbles was hunched over slightly, facing Him.  
  
"Bubbles? But where are the others?" Boomer looked around curiously.  
  
"That's not our Bubbles..." Blossom muttered in realization.  
  
"What? What are you doing here? I killed you!" Boston howled down at the second Whoopass Girl angrily.  
  
"You took what HE gave me!" Bubbles replied, gesturing to Him. "But I've learned more than that..." Everyone just stared down at her dumbfounded for a few moments util Boomer and Blossom exchanged a glance and nodded. They streaked down to land beside her, and Buttercup followed suit a moment later. Boston too landed so that he and Him still had the heroes surrounded.  
  
"It doesn't matter, we can kill you all." Boston said evilly as he raised one hand in front of him. Fire pulsed around his fingers as the group of puffs got ready to fight, dropping into different stances facing him. Before anyone could attack however a scream erupted from Blossoms headset.  
  
"Boston!" Mange's voice came from the outer speakers of the headset. The boy just stared at Blossom steadily, but didn't attack. "Kid... for what it's worth... I'm sorry." Mange's voice said seriously from the speaker.  
  
"You... liar..." Boston muttered, sounding like the actual boy for the first time since they'd found him in the Dynamo's holding center.  
  
"Yes I am... but not now." Mange replied from the headset again. Slowly Blossom removed the headset and put it on the ground, not really wanting to be in the middle of this family squabble. "I wanted you to be strong and help me not... become this."  
  
"What are you waiting for? Kill them!" Him ordered Boston from the other side of the puffs. His voice was as dark as it ever got and his claws clinked together angrily at the delay. Instead of attacking Boston dropped his claw to the side. The fire vanished back inside of him just before he crumbled to his knees limply.  
  
"Fine, I'll kill you all myself!" Him shouted as his claws began to glow with a dark crimson energy. The sound of three light streaks behind him interrupted him though.  
  
"Not so fast!" Him whirled to see the other Buttercup and Bubbles along with Brick surrounding him. He turned back to the others in time to see Blossom step forward confidently.  
  
"It's one on seven here, and you're not even at full strength. I think even YOU know better than to test THESE odds." The leader of the Powerpuff Girls said with a triumphant smirk. Him glared at her evilly, then looked past her to see Boston still hunched over, straining against something only he could feel.  
  
"This isn't over." Him growled darkly. "Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right there waiting to consume you. Watch your backs... Powerpuff Girls." He said with a dark grin. Before anyone else could react his body seemed to fold in on itself, vanished into a crimson pinpoint of light while everyone else only watched.  
  
Brick slowly turned to walk over to Boston, who hadn't moved at all for several minutes. He seemed smaller than he had been, more like he'd once looked except for the wings which were the only outward sign of his possession now. "Boston?" He asked gently, putting one hand on his son's shoulder. The kid slowly turned to look up at him with eyes that were his own once again. There was something else within them however, something that would never go away.  
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The rain was finally slowing down and the sun was just poking out from behind the cloud cover that had been haunting them for the past week. The Powerpuff Girls, Rowdyruff Boys, Whoopass Girls, and Professor Utonium were standing out front while Boston was already standing in the street with his back to them.  
  
"Are you sure you want to go?" Brick asked him one more time.  
  
"If I don't I'll want to fight... and that would only make... him take over again." Boston replied darkly. In just the last while the kid seemed to have gone from a fairly normal child to a man haunted by his own demons. Brick wished there was something he could do, but he knew all he could do was let him go.  
  
"Well I think we're ready to go kiddo." Whoopass Buttercup said as she walked out to join Boston in the street.  
  
"Why are you going?" Whoopass Bubbles asked somewhat sadly. With Blossom still dead and Buttercup leaving, she would be the last of the Whoopass Girls left in Townsville.  
  
"I was made to serve evil, and I'm still evil remember?" Buttercup reminded her sister with a sly grin. "Who better to travel with besides the being who was once the source of all evil? Besides, he can protect me from Him, and I can keep him from having to use his powers for no reason."  
  
"I see..." Bubbles looked down at the wet grass sadly and put her hands behind her back. "Goodbye then..."  
  
Buttercup nodded silently before she turned to Boston. "Come on kid, just you and me. Wherever we may roam." She put one hand on his shoulder and started walking slowly away from the house, and Townsville. Boston went silently, as though the slightest sound could awaken the beast still lurking inside of him.  
  
Everyone turned silently to look at Whoopass Bubbles before Professor Utonium spoke. "You're welcome to stay here if you wish since you have no more family and the darkest parts of you have been taken away." He said gently.  
  
"No." Bubbles replied firmly. "I'll make my own way... besides, I have something I think I should take care of now that I'm alone." She closed her eyes as she too turned to walk away, leaving just the Utonium family out on the front lawn.  
  
"Another chapter of our lives coming to a close..." Brick mused to himself while Buttercup walked up to comfort him. She could tell Boston's leaving was having an affect on him. "I just hope the future is brighter than this present..."  
  
"We won't know until the future comes." Buttercup replied as she looked up at the newly forming rainbow overhead. "For now... it's just a waiting game." Silently everyone else turned to pile back into the house and try to get back to their normal lives. Him was back and Boston was gone... it was almost like everything had gone full circle. They were back where they once were. Buttercup didn't really mind though, as long as she was with Brick, she was happy.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Whoopass Bubbles tried to steel her nerves as she floated up to the house she'd really been wanting to come to for awhile now. Maybe now that she was alone she could explain everything and it would all be fine. She closed her eyes and knocked gently on the door.  
  
Elibell opened it a few moments later, smiling and opening it all the way when she saw Bubbles on the porch. "Hey, what're you doing here Bubbles? I haven't really seen you in awhile." She said curiously.  
  
"I'm not... that Bubbles." Bubbles replied shakily. For a few moments Eli just stared down at her, then she tried to shut the door without another word. The Whoopass Girl caught it though, holding it open as she spoke. "Please I want to talk to you... seriously." She spoke as softly as she could. Eli simply stared down at her with nothing but distrust plain in her eyes. The black girl had never seen her like this except for once...  
  
"A few minutes." Eli said coldly as she opened the door to let Bubbles float inside. She closed it calmly behind her, praying she wasn't making a bit mistake by letting the Whoopass Girl into her house again. As if she could keep her out if she really wanted to come in anyway. She could just play along and see what she wants... listen and judge for herself. Who knew, maybe something good would come of it?  
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Boston didn't look anywhere but straight ahead as he and Buttercup neared the fringe of Townsville. The sun cast it's own crimson rays down on the city as it continued to move out from behind one of the dark storm clouds. The Whoopass Girl put one hand up to shield her eyes as they stopped, looking out at the empty stretch of road that led away from the city.  
  
Neither of them said anything as they just stood in companionable silence. They were really in the same situation. Boston was possessed by the demon he'd been raised from birth to carry, and Buttercup still had the evil inside of her that had been given to her when Him had been her creator.  
  
In a few moments Boston finally looked up with a slight smirk on his face. He wouldn't be alone, and he could make his own way through this world. He had no fear of this oddly, only a kind of anticipation he couldn't explain. He wanted to leave, spread his wings a bit away from the others. He was his own being now.  
  
Silently he took to the air, his dark crimson wings carrying him easily through the winds that were still blowing strong through the city. He could hear Buttercup keeping pace beside him as they flew together way from the city that had kept them so long. The world was their playground, all they had to do was decide where to go first. If this was what it was like to be demons, then he only wondered why he hadn't done this long ago.  
  
THE END 


End file.
